Nowhere Kids
by 09sarahbean
Summary: Dark and dangerous times have fallen on Liza Jones and the wizarding community. You-Know-Who has returned, but the Ministry refuses to believe Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. Liza must ban together with her friends to make it through her fifth year of school. Sequel to Awake and Alive.
1. Chapter 1 Welcome to Number Twelve

_**A/N: Welcome to my new story and the fifth story of my Harry Potter series! If you haven't read any of the other stories in this series, I suggest that you do so before reading this one, as I'm writing this one assuming you've read the previous ones (and also the Harry Potter series). The first story is called Welcome to the World, in case you want to go read it.**_

_**This first chapter is fairly short because it was supposed to be included with the next TWO chapters. I was writing and realized that the first chapter was going to be very long, so I split it up into three chapters. Anyways, enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 1 – Welcome to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place**

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope your summer has been all right so far. Ours has been very…repetitive. We're still here at Sirius's old family house. We've made some progress on decontaminating the house. That's all we do these days is clean. It's hard to get a lot done when we can't use magic._

_The twins can do magic now, do I mention that? They like to Apparate from their room upstairs down to the kitchen in the basement. Mrs. Weasley gets so angry with them because they startle her every time. They invented these things called the Extendable Ears that help us to listen in to the private meetings. We're not allowed to go to them, you see, since we're still in school. Even the twins aren't, even though they're of age. Anyways, Mrs. Weasley found out about the Ears, so she confiscated them, but Fred managed to hide a few. We're really careful about using them now._

_Did I tell you about Percy? The first week after term ended and before we came here, Percy and Mr. Weasley had this huge fight at the Burrow. Percy said there's no proof You-Know-Who is back and we are stupid to believe you. He's basically sided with the Ministry. So whatever you do, don't mention Percy around the Weasleys. Mrs. Weasley in particular gets upset, and who could blame her?_

_Anyways. You'd be disappointed in our sleuthing. We really haven't found all that much out. You-Know-Who has been trying to keep a low profile, just like Dumbledore said he would. The Order has all these meetings, like I said before, but it's hard to overhear anything._

_As for the Order, we've met quite a few of them now. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are in it, and so is Sirius, obviously. We hardly ever see Dumbledore. Ron's brother Bill took a desk job so he could move home to be a part of the Order, too. Lupin is in it as well, along with Hagrid and McGonagall and Flitwick and even Snape. Moody is here, as well. He's still as paranoid as ever, and it's so weird to talk to him because we spent nearly a year thinking we knew who he was when he turned out to be stuck in his trunk all year. Barty Crouch Jr. really played his part well…_

_Well, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Nothing new has been happening since the last time I wrote to you. Sirius is still stuck in the house with us. I don't think he minds our company, but Dumbledore keeps telling him that it's too dangerous for him to leave the house._

_Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to send this letter. I mean, I could always save it and give it to you once we see you… Mrs. Weasley keeps saying that you'll be coming here soon, but she's been saying it all summer and I'm not sure if I should even believe her._

_Dumbledore doesn't want us to be telling you anything about the Order and what's going on here. At first I thought it was just because he didn't want to risk the letters being intercepted, but he really doesn't want us to tell you _anything_. It has been super hard to not just write a letter to you saying everything and stealing Pig to send you it. And I have no idea why he doesn't want you knowing anything._

_Like I said, I could possibly give this to you when I see you next, but I don't think the Order would be very happy with me if they found this letter before I could give it to you. So I think I'll just throw it into the fire… Just like the last 50-some letters I've written and not sent._

_And if that's the case then, I also want you to know that I love you and I'm your secret twin sister. I just wish you were here right now._

_Liza_

Elizabeth "Liza" Jones looked sadly down at her letter to one of her best friends and twin brother, Harry Potter, whom she missed very much. She hadn't seen him since the end of their last school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

When Liza and Harry had been born, their parents Lily and James Potter had been in hiding from You-Know-Who. Lily, knowing that You-Know-Who knew that she had given birth, had asked Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, to hide her daughter from the evil wizard. So Liza had been taken away from her family and adopted by a witch and wizard couple in the United States, Dan and Sue Jones. They didn't tell her anything about her birth parents, to keep her safe.

When Liza turned eleven, she had received a letter from Hogwarts. Since she had been born in England, her name had been put down for Hogwarts even though she lived most of her life in America. After a few years of going to school at Hogwarts, she found out that she was a Potter.

About a month earlier, You-Know-Who, whom Harry had defeated as a baby, had returned to full strength. The Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge refused to believe Harry, who had seen You-Know-Who come back, and now the entire Ministry of Magic was in denial. The _Daily Prophet_ had been doing their very best to smear both Harry's and Dumbledore's names.

Liza had gone with her other best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and the rest of the Weasley family to a house in London called Grimmauld Place. It was the childhood home of Liza's and Harry's godfather Sirius Black. For the entire summer, Liza and the others had been decontaminating the house so it could serve as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society that Dumbledore had organized to combat You-Know-Who.

As much as Liza enjoyed helping out the Order, she couldn't help the feeling of boredom that had settled inside her. They never left the house. Every morning they would wake up; Mrs. Weasley would make them breakfast; they would help to clean a room in the house, which would usually take a few days to complete; the Order usually had a meeting in the evening; then Mrs. Weasley would make supper, and they would go to bed.

Liza was also enjoying spending time with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. She just wished that Harry would be able to join them soon. After everything that Harry had gone through a month earlier when You-Know-Who had returned, Liza thought that he should be there with them.

Picking up the parchment in front of her, Liza crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it into the fire.

**~LJ:NK~**

It seemed like a very ordinary day in Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys, Hermione, and Liza had been cleaning out the last bedroom all day, and it still wasn't fully ready for someone to sleep in. Now they were gathered in the kitchen for dinner, enjoying some stew that Mrs. Weasley had made when Albus Dumbledore came walking swiftly into the kitchen.

"Hello, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said, sounding very surprised to see him. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No, thank you, Molly," Dumbledore replied politely. Liza looked up and was startled to see him looking more angry than she had ever seen him. "I just wanted to know if Arthur is still at work."

"Yes, I believe he is," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Thank you, Molly," Dumbledore said. "I'll have Arthur send word once I get to the Ministry." He turned on his heel and left the kitchen again, with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Liza staring after him.

"What's for dinner?" Sirius asked, entering the kitchen.

"Stew," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Did you see Dumbledore on your way down here?"

"Yes," Sirius said, taking a seat at the table. "He looked like he was in a hurry, so I didn't bother him. Why, did something happen?"

"He didn't say," Mrs. Weasley answered. "He asked if Arthur was still at work, and then he said he was off to the Ministry."

"The Ministry?" Sirius repeated, frowning. "I wonder why he would want to go there, of all places."

A few minutes later, they got their answer. An owl swooped into the room and landed on the table in front of Mrs. Weasley. She took the letter from the owl, and it flew away. Mrs. Weasley unfolded the letter and scanned it, her eyes growing wide.

"Oh my," she said faintly. She cleared her throat and announced, "It seems that a couple of dementors attacked Harry and his cousin in Little Whinging."

"What?" Sirius burst out, standing up from the table and holding his hand out to see the letter. "But—wasn't Mundungus supposed to be watching over him?"

"Mundungus left his post early," Mrs. Weasley replied, handing the letter over. "Two dementors attacked Harry and his Muggle cousin. Harry used a Patronus Charm to scare them off, but now he may possibly be expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in front of a Muggle." Sirius had quickly read through the letter as Mrs. Weasley had finished explaining what had happened.

"I'm going to write to Harry," Sirius said, dropping the parchment onto the table.

"Sirius—" Mrs. Weasley started.

"I know, I know," Sirius interrupted. "I'm not going to tell him anything, I'm just going to tell him to stay at his aunt's and uncle's house." He turned and dashed out of the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley picked up the parchment and tucked it into a pocket in her robes before hurrying out of the room, possibly to write her own letters.

"I hope Harry's all right," Hermione said, looking anxious. "He really needs to be more careful."

"More careful?" Ron echoed. "Two dementors went after him! Did you expect him to just let them suck his soul out?"

"He really is a magnet for trouble, isn't he?" Ginny remarked.

"How could they expel him for protecting himself?" Liza asked. "I mean, I know we're not supposed to use magic outside of school, but if there were dementors involved—"

"I'm sure the Ministry is going to deny that there were dementors attacking him," George said matter-of-factly. "Dementors are under Ministry control, or at least the Ministry believes that they are."

"But why else would Harry us a Patronus Charm?" Liza pointed out. She exchanged blank looks with the other Weasleys and Hermione before going back to eating her stew in silence.

It was a few hours before Mrs. Weasley found the kids sitting in the bedroom Fred and George were staying in. Fred, George, Ginny, and Ron were all playing Exploding Snap while Liza watched, her cat Boots lounging on her lap. Hermione was reading one of her textbooks nearby.

"Well, the good news is that Harry hasn't been expelled yet," she began, looking relieved. "Dumbledore has managed to convince the Ministry to hold a hearing for Harry to determine whether he should be expelled or not. A group from the Order will be going to collect Harry from his aunt's and uncle's house in a few days, but Dumbledore has asked me to remind you that you are not to send Harry any owls about what is going on. We don't want anything to get intercepted."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Liza said, smiling at the woman.

"Don't stay up too late," Mrs. Weasley added. "We have to finish decontaminating that bedroom in the next few days. Oh, Liza, Hermione, Ron—Sirius wants to talk to you."

"Where is he?" Liza asked, nudging Boots off of her and standing up.

"He's up in Buckbeak's room," Mrs. Weasley replied. She left the room, and Liza looked at Hermione and Ron.

"Shall we?" she asked. Hermione saved her place in her book, and she and Ron followed Liza upstairs. They reached the room where Buckbeak was staying and knocked.

"Come in," Sirius called from inside. Liza pushed the door open and the three filed into the room. They stopped short when they saw Hedwig flapping around Sirius's head.

"What is she doing?" Ron asked. Hedwig squawked and flew at the other three, brandishing her leg. There were three bits of parchment attached to it, and Hermione untied them and handed one each to Ron and Liza. Liza opened hers up and read the short note Harry had written.

_I've just been attacked by dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here._

"What does yours say?" Ron asked, looking over Liza's shoulder. He scanned the parchment in her hands and said, "Mine says the same thing."

"I assume yours all say that Harry wants to know what's happening," Sirius sighed, leaning against an old dresser that was pushed up against the wall.

"I know that Dumbledore and the others say that we're not supposed to send letters in case they get intercepted," Liza started, "but why can't we let Harry know what's happening? It seems very unfair that he doesn't get any information about what's going on."

"Not to mention the fact that if he were here already, none of this would have happened," Ron added.

"I don't know why Dumbledore doesn't want Harry knowing anything," Sirius admitted. "But he has his reasons; he always does. If we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?" He sounded a little bit bitter, however. "It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep." Hermione and Ron said good night to Sirius and left the room, but Liza stayed behind.

"How are you, Sirius?" she asked in a quiet voice. Sirius sighed.

"I'm fine," he said. "I just feel like a burden to the Order right now. I wish I could do something to help, but Dumbledore insists that I stay hidden. When I was on the run, at least I was outside in the fresh air. I never thought I'd have to come back into this house." He let out another breath through his nose before asking, "How are _you_?"

"I'm okay," Liza said. "Feeling a little trapped as well, but I at least have Hogwarts to look forward to." Sirius smirked.

"How's that boyfriend of yours?" he teased. Liza felt herself blush.

Her boyfriend was John McDevlyn, a Slytherin the same age as she was—he'd be starting his fifth year on September first just like she would—whom she'd started dating the year before. However, John's father was a Death Eater, a follower of You-Know-Who. John didn't believe in anything the Death Eaters did, and he was essentially on the Order's side of things. Unfortunately, since he was living with a Death Eater, Liza had to be very careful about what she put in a letter to him. In fact, she had to be so careful that she hadn't sent him many letters at all.

"He's fine, as far as I can tell," she said. "He can't write much in his letters, but it sounds like he's having a normal summer." Sirius chuckled.

"Sorry," he said. "I can't help it, I had to tease you about it, for your old man's sake." He stood up straight and walked over to the door. "I think I'm going to turn in," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Sirius," Liza said, and she went downstairs to the bedroom she was sharing with Ginny and Hermione.

**~LJ:NK~**

Another few days went by before they heard anything about Harry again. They were having breakfast when Mrs. Weasley announced the news.

"A group from the Order will be picking Harry up tonight," she stated

"Good," Ron said. "Maybe he'll be able to get Hedwig to stop trying to eat our hands." Ever since Hedwig had arrived, she had been following Ron, Hermione, and Liza around and pecking at their fingers. None of them could get her to stop doing it.

"When will he get here?" Liza asked eagerly.

"I think they're waiting to get him until the evening, so sometime tonight," Mrs. Weasley answered. "However, you know what Dumbledore has said; you are not to tell Harry more than he needs to know. The Order is also having a meeting tonight, so you'll have to entertain yourselves for the night."

"We do that every night, Mum," Fred pointed out. "Don't worry about us."

**~LJ:NK~**

That evening, the kids were hustled away from the kitchen, which was where the meeting would be held. Ron, Hermione, and Liza went up to Ron's room to wait for Harry. Ron pulled out his deck of Exploding Snap.

"I wonder how they're going to get him here," Hermione said as Ron dealt the cards.

"No idea," Liza said. "I'm more worried about how angry he's going to be."

"Why would he be angry?" Ron asked.

"Wouldn't you be?" Liza shot back. "He had to watch as You-Know-Who came back to life." She held up her hand and started to count on her fingers. "He had to watch Cedric die. We all promised that he would join us here as soon as we could get him here, but it's been over a month. He got attacked by dementors and might be expelled from school…"

"I guess you're right," Ron said.

"Not to mention the fact that we haven't been able to give him answers to any of the questions he's sent us," Hermione added.

"But Dumbledore made us swear to not tell him anything," Ron said. "Harry will understand that, won't he? That we didn't have a choice?"

"Maybe," Liza said. "But maybe not." They played a game of Exploding Snap in silence. Ron won the first game, and he scooped up the cards to deal out another game.

"I wonder if Fred and George are trying to listen in to the meeting downstairs," he said as he dealt another round.

"I'm sure they're going to try," Liza said, picking up her cards to see what she had. They got about halfway through the game when the door to the bedroom opened up, startling the three of them. They all turned to see Harry Potter standing in the doorway.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: It was short and not one of my best chapters, but hey, it's a start.**_


	2. Chapter 2 Getting Harry Caught Up

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 2 – Getting Harry Caught Up to Speed**

"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, jumping up and launching herself at Harry. "Ron, Liza, he's here, Harry's here!"

"We can see that," Liza said, standing up and walking over to her friends. Hermione let go of Harry so Liza could hug him as well. "We didn't hear you arrive," she added to him. She stepped back and studied him closely. He looked the same as ever: scrawny, with messy black hair and the same green eyes as Liza and their mother Lily.

"Oh, how _are_ you?" Hermione asked. "Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless—but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us—the dementors! When we heard—and that Ministry hearing—it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's a provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations—"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said, cutting her off. He grinned at Harry and closed the bedroom door behind them. Hedwig flew over from across the room and landed on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed, stroking her a few times.

"She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this…" He held his hand out for Harry to see the scratches.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know…"

"We wanted to give them to you," Liza said sadly.

"Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news," Ron added, "but Dumbledore made us—"

"Swear not to tell me," Harry finished for him. "Yeah, Hermione's already said." There was a heavy pause as Harry stroked his owl and didn't look at the other three.

"He seemed to think it was best," Hermione said after a few seconds. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," Harry said.

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles," Ron said.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, his voice strained. "Have any of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"No, but we haven't left this house all summer," Liza said. "But that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time."

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" Harry asked. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," Hermione whispered. She cleared her throat and continued in a louder voice, "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer."

"You don't know that," Liza said, frowning.

"Aren't you…aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry stated boldly. He took a few steps away from them, looking around the room. "So why'd Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" he asked. "Did you—er—bother to ask him at all?"

"No, Harry, we never asked why he didn't want us writing to you," Liza said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," Ron said. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted—"

"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said stubbornly. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."

"I thought that too," Hermione said. "But he didn't want you to know _anything_."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," Harry said.

"Don't be thick," Ron said.

"Or that I can't take care of myself," Harry suggested.

"Harry, why would he think that?" Liza asked exasperatedly. "If he thought that he wouldn't have let you compete in the Triwizard Tournament last year."

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you three get to join in everything that's going on here?" Harry asked, sounding upset. "How come you three are allowed to know everything that's going on?"

"We're not!" Ron insisted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young—"

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL!" Harry shouted, surprising them. "YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER. ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU THREE'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT—WHO SAVED THE SORCERER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?"

"That's not fair, Harry," Liza said quietly, fixing him with a hard stare, but Harry continued like she hadn't said anything.

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR?" he yelled. "WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!" Liza glanced at Ron, who looked speechless, and Hermione, who seemed like she was about to cry. Harry, however, continued, "BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did—" Hermione cut in.

"CAN'T HAVE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU," Harry snapped, "OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT _DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR_—"

"Well, he did," Ron grumbled.

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK ON PRIVET DRIVE," Harry bellowed, "NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON—"

"We wanted to—" Hermione tried again.

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER—" Harry raved.

"No, honest—" Hermione said.

"ENOUGH!" Liza screamed. Harry rounded on her, but she was too angry with him to care. "What's the matter with you? We _wanted_ to tell you, how many times do we have to tell you that until you understand?"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED!" Harry shouted.

"STOP YELLING AT US!" Liza cried. "Just stop it! We're not the ones you're mad at; I know it, and you know it. We're sorry that things happened this way, and we're sorry that we couldn't have sent you more information. But stop taking your frustrations out on _us_! What do you want us to do, go back in time and send you some owls full of critical information that could seriously hurt the Order if they were intercepted by Death Eaters?" Harry scowled before dropping his eyes to the floor and pacing back and forth.

"What _is_ this place anyway?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix," Ron answered promptly.

"Is anyone going to bother telling me what the Order of the Phoenix is?" Harry asked in an annoyed voice.

"Harry," Liza said sharply, warning in her tone.

"It's a secret society," Hermione explained. "Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

"Who's in it?" Harry asked in a calmer tone.

"Quite a few people," Hermione said.

"We've met about twenty of them," Ron added, "but we think there are more…" There was a pause.

"_Well_?" Harry snarled.

"Well what, Harry?" Liza asked, shaking her head.

"_Voldemort_!" Harry burst out. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

"We've _told_ you, the Order don't let us in on their meetings," Liza pointed out. "So we don't know any details."

"But we've got a general idea," Hermione added quickly, noticing the furious look on Harry's face.

"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see," Ron said. "They're really useful."

"Extendable—?" Harry started.

"Ears, yeah," Ron finished. "Only we've had to stop using them lately because Mum found out and went berserk. Fred and George had to hide them all to stop Mum binning them. But we got a good bit of use out of them before Mum realized what was going on. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them, you know…"

"Some of them are working on recruiting more people to the order," Hermione added.

"And some of them are standing guard over something," Ron finished. "They're always talking about guard duty."

"Couldn't have been me, could it?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah," Ron said.

"Excuse you, but this isn't all about you, Harry," Liza said. "They could be guarding something else, too." Harry looked away from them and then walked around the room again.

"So what have you been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" he asked. "You said you'd been busy."

"We have been," Hermione said, nodding. "We've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms, and I think we're doing the drawing room tomorrow—AARGH!" she squealed as Fred and George appeared in the room with two loud bangs.

"You two need to stop doing that," Liza scolded them. They winked at her.

"Hello, Harry," George said brightly. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," Fred said, grinning. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you." Liza snorted.

"You two passed your Apparition tests, then?" Harry asked.

"With distinction," Fred replied. He was holding the end of a flesh-colored string; an Extendable Ear.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," Ron pointed out.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," Fred insisted. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he explained when Harry looked at the Extendable Ear with uncertainty. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

"You want to be careful," Ron warned them. "If Mum sees one of them again—"

"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," Fred stated. The door opened again, and Ginny came into the room.

"Oh hello, Harry!" she said cheerfully. "I thought I heard your voice." Once very embarrassed and clumsy around Harry, Ginny had finally learned to act calmly around him. She turned to Fred and George and added, "It's no go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Curse on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" George asked.

"Tonks told me how to find out," Ginny explained. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the doors been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

"Shame," Fred sighed. "I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" Harry piped up. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," George said. He went to the door, shut it firmly, and took a seat on one of the beds. Fred and Ginny did the same. "Giving a report," George said. "Top secret."

"Git," Fred remarked.

"He's on our side now," Hermione said.

"Doesn't stop him being a git," Ron said. "The way he looks at us when he sees us—"

"Bill doesn't like him either," Ginny added. Harry now sat on the bed opposite the one George, Fred, and Ginny were sitting on.

"Is Bill here?" he asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt."

"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," Fred replied. "He says he misses the tombs, but there are compensations…" He exchanged a smirk with George, and Liza rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the dresser.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" George said. "She's got a job at Gringotts to _eemprove 'er Eeenglish_—"

"And Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons," Fred chuckled.

"Oh, leave him alone," Liza said, shaking her head.

"Charlie's in the Order, too," George continued, looking at Harry, "but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked. Liza frowned deeply, scowling along with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad," Ron advised Harry.

"Why not?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.

"Because every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying," Fred replied.

"It's been awful," Ginny added.

"I think we're well shut of him," George said, looking furious.

"What happened?" Harry insisted.

"Percy and Dad had a row," Fred began. "I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts…"

"It was the first week back after term ended," Ron continued. "We were about to come and join the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"You're kidding?" Harry said.

"Yeah, we were all surprised," George said, "because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realized Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain…"

"So how come they promoted him?" Harry asked.

"That's exactly what we wondered," Liza spoke up.

"He came home really pleased with himself," Ron said, "even more pleased than usual if you can imagine that—and told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts—Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

"Only Dad wasn't," Fred said.

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," George explained.

"Dumbledore's name's mud with the Ministry these days, see," Fred continued. "They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," George added.

"Trouble is," Fred said, shaking his head, "Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always though Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession…"

"But what's this got to do with Percy?" Harry asked.

"I'm coming to that," Fred said. "Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family—and Dumbledore."

"Bet Percy loved that," Harry said.

"He went completely berserk," Ron said, laughing without humor. "He said—well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been—you know—not had a lot of money, I mean—"

"_What_?" Harry said, looking appalled. Ginny hissed, looking upset as well.

"I know," Ron continued. "And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he—Percy—knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now." Harry let out a very low expletive.

"Mum's been in a right state," Ron said. "You know—crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work—ignores him, I s'pose."

"But Percy _must_ know Voldemort's back," Harry said, looking around at the Weasleys. "He's not stupid, he must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof—"

"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the fight," Liza said, shaking her head. "Percy said the only evidence was your word and apparently he doesn't think it was good enough."

"Percy takes the _Daily Prophet_ seriously," Hermione added coldly.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking at each of the Weasleys, Hermione, and Liza.

"Haven't—haven't you been getting the _Daily Prophet_?" Hermione asked warily.

"Yeah, I have!" Harry exclaimed.

"Have you—er—been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked.

"Not cover to cover," Harry said. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort it would be headline news, wouldn't it?"

"Oh, Harry," Liza said. "You know the Ministry is denying You-Know-Who's return. There hasn't been anything about him in the _Prophet_, but they—er—they mention you a few times a week."

"But I'd have seen—" Harry insisted, but Hermione cut him off with a shake of her head.

"Not if you've only been reading the front page, you wouldn't," Hermione replied. "We're not talking about the big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."

"What d'you—?" Harry began.

"It's quite nasty, actually," Hermione continued over Harry. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."

"But she's not writing for them anymore, is she?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, she's kept her promise—not that she's got any choice," Hermione answered, sounding a bit triumphant. "But she laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."

"Which is _what_?" Harry asked.

"Okay, you know she wrote that you were collapsing all over the place and saying your scar was hurting and all that?" Hermione began.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Well, they're writing about you as though you're this deluded, attention-seeking person who thinks he's a great tragic hero or something," Hermione explained. "They keep slipping in snide comments about you. If some far-fetched story appears they say something like 'a tale worthy of Harry Potter' and if anyone has a funny accident or anything it's 'let's hope he hasn't got a scar on his forehead or we'll be asked to worship him next…'"

"I don't want anyone to worship—" Harry started hotly.

"We know you don't," Liza said impatiently. "We _know_, Harry. But you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone nobody will believe. Fudge is behind it, I'll bet anything. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask—I didn't want—_Voldemort killed my parents_!" Harry stuttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never—"

"We _know_, Harry," Ginny chimed in.

"And of course, they didn't report a word about the dementors attacking you," Hermione continued. "Someone's told them to keep that quiet. That should've been a really big story, out-of-control dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy—we thought they would, it would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off—we think they're biding their time until you're expelled, then they're really going to go to town—I mean, _if_ you're expelled, obviously," Hermione added quickly, "you really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."

There was a moment of silence which was broken by the noise of footsteps on the stairs.

"Uh-oh," Fred muttered, tugging on his Extendable Ear. He and George Disapparated. Moments later, Mrs. Weasley appeared at the bedroom door.

"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now," she said. "Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," Ginny said without missing a beat. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," Mrs. Weasley said. "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please…" Mrs. Weasley turned to leave and Ginny made a quick face at her mother's back before following her out of the room.

Harry looked at Hermione, Ron, and Liza, who were watching him anxiously.

"Look—" Harry began, but Hermione cut him off.

"We knew you'd be angry, Harry," she said, "we really don't blame you, but you've got to understand, we _did_ try and persuade Dumbledore—"

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, although he still sounded annoyed.

"Do you?" Liza asked quietly. "Are you going to quit being upset with us when you should really be upset with Dumbledore?" Harry nodded but didn't say anything more about it.

"Who's Kreacher?" he asked, changing the subject.

"The house-elf who lives here," Ron answered. "Nutter. Never met one like him."

"He's not a _nutter_, Ron," Hermione argued.

"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plaque just like his mother's," Ron said. "Is that normal, Hermione?"

"Well—well if he's a bit strange, it's not his fault," Hermione insisted.

"Hermione still hasn't given up on _spew_," Ron said to Harry.

"It's not 'spew'!" Hermione snapped. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and it's not just me, Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher, too—"

"Yeah, yeah," Ron said dismissively. "C'mon, I'm starving." He led the way out of the room and onto the landing. They were about to go down the stairs when Ron held his arm out to stop the other three, hissing, "Hold it!" They all looked over the banister and could see a group of witches and wizards gathered in the hallway. Professor Snape, the potions master at Hogwarts, was standing in the middle of the crowd.

An Extendable Ear appeared in front of Liza's vision. She glanced up, noticing Fred and George huddled together on the landing above them. She gave them a small salute, which George returned.

Liza was glad that she and George were able to be close friends still. The year before, George had asked her to the Yule Ball. Liza had thought they were going as just friends, but George had had a crush on her. Her acceptance of his invitation had given him hope that maybe she liked him back, but she had a crush on John. When George saw her and John exchange a kiss at the Ball, he had been upset but had quickly accepted the fact that Liza didn't return his feelings. Now they were as close as ever, and Liza would be forever grateful for his friendship.

The twins had just lowered their Extendable Ear when the group below began to move towards the front door.

"Dammit," Fred whispered, reeling the Extendable Ear back up. The front door opened and then closed.

"Snape never eats here," Ron said to Harry. "Thank God. C'mon."

"And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry," Hermione whispered. They walked down the stairs and entered the hallway, where they saw Remus Lupin (a former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts and werewolf), Nymphadora Tonks (a younger Auror who went by Tonks), and Mrs. Weasley standing at the front door, magically sealing it behind the guests. Mrs. Weasley turned and hurried over to them.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," she said in a very quiet voice. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across this hall, it's through this door here—"

Suddenly there was a loud crash, and Liza turned to see Tonks sprawled out on the floor.

"_Tonks_!" Mrs. Weasley wailed.

"I'm sorry!" Tonks cried. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over—" That's when the screeching began. Liza, Ron, and Hermione threw their hands over their ears, and Harry looked around in bewilderment.

In the middle of the hall was a life-sized portrait that was normally covered by a pair of moldy old curtains. But the noise had awakened the portrait's occupant: an old, unpleasant looking woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs. Her screaming also awoke the other portraits in the hall, causing them to yell and scream as well.

"_Filth! Scum!_" she bellowed. Lupin and Mrs. Weasley rushed forward to try and pull the curtains back over the portrait, but they wouldn't move. "_By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers!_"

Tonks was busy trying to put the umbrella stand back, all while apologizing profusely, although nobody could hear her. Mrs. Weasley stopped tugging on the curtains and began to Stun the other portraits to get them to stop making such a racket. Then Sirius came striding out of the door to the kitchen.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" he shouted, grabbing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had dropped.

"_Yoooou!_" the woman in the portrait screamed. "_Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!_"

"I said—shut—UP!" Sirius snarled, and he and Lupin were able to wrench the curtains closed again. Short of breath, Sirius swept the hair from his eyes and turned to look at Harry. "Hello, Harry," he greeted. "I see you've met my mother."

**~LJ:NK~**


	3. Chapter 3 Dinner With the Order

_**A/N: There's a lot of dialogue straight from the book in this one, so I hope it's not too boring!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 3 – Dinner With the Order**

"You're—?" Harry asked, surprise.

"My dear old mum, yeah," Sirius said. "We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again." He gestured to the door he had come out of.

"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, following his godfather. Liza, Hermione, and Ron trailed after them, and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, and Lupin brought up the rear.

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house," Sirius explained. "But I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters—about the only useful thing I've been able to do." Liza could hear the bitterness in his voice.

They reached the kitchen and found Mr. Weasley and Bill bent over a parchment at the end of the table. They were talking low with their heads together. There were bits of parchment littering the table, along with goblets and bottles of wine.

Mrs. Weasley, following behind Ron, cleared her throat significantly. Mr. Weasley looked up, beaming when he saw Harry.

"Harry!" he exclaimed. He stepped forward and shook Harry's hand. "Good to see you!" Bill, meanwhile, hurried to collect all the papers on the table.

"Journey all right, Harry?" he asked. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," Tonks remarked, going over to help Bill pick up the parchment. She knocked into the table and sent a candle into one of the pieces of parchment. "Oh, no," she moaned. "_Sorry_."

"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. She took her wand out and repaired the parchment. Liza looked at the parchment, and in the brief moment the light from the spell hit it, she could make out what looked like building plans. Mrs. Weasley grabbed the parchment off the table and placed it in Bill's arms with the other ones.

"This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," she scolded. Then she began to set the table for dinner. Ginny helped her mother put the dishes out.

"_Evanesco_!" Bill said, pointing his wand at the papers, and they vanished.

"Sit down, Harry," Sirius said, waving him into a chair. "You've met Mundungus, haven't you?" Mundungus Fletcher, who had fallen asleep at the end of the table, started suddenly.

"Some'n say m' name?" he asked groggily. "I 'gree with Sirius…" Ginny and Liza sniggered.

"The meeting's over, Dung," Sirius told him. "Harry's arrived." Liza, Hermione, and Ron all sat down around the table as well.

"Eh?" Mundungus grunted. He turned his bloodshot eyes to Harry and said, "Bilmey, so 'e 'as. Yeah…you all right, 'arry?"

"Yeah," Harry said, sounding unsure. Mundungus pulled a pipe from his pocket, stuck it in his mouth, and lit it. A thick cloud poured out of the end of it, obscuring his face. "Owe you a 'pology," Mundungus added.

"For the last time, Mundungus," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, "will you please _not_ smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!"

"Ah," Mundungus said. "Right. Sorry, Molly." He put the pipe back into his pocket, and the cloud around him vanished.

"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley continued, looking around the room. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry dear, you've had a long journey—"

"What can I do, Molly?" Tonks said, looking eager.

"Er—no, it's all right, Tonks," Mrs. Weasley said, "you have a rest too, you've done enough today—"

"No, no, I want to help!" Tonks insisted. She knocked over a chair on her way towards where the dishes were kept.

Mrs. Weasley set them all to work. Mr. Weasley supervised the knives that were magically cutting up meat and vegetables. Mrs. Weasley watched over a cauldron that hung over the fire. Liza helped the others to set the table with plates, goblets, and other food. Harry remained at the table with Mundungus and Sirius.

"Seen old Figgy since?" Mundungus asked Harry.

"No," Harry replied, "I haven't seen anyone."

"See, I wouldn't 'ave left," Mundungus said, "but I 'ad a business opportunity…"

"Had a good summer so far?" Sirius asked.

"No, it's been lousy," Harry answered bluntly.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself," Sirius said.

"_What_?" Harry said.

"Personally, I'd have welcomed a dementor attack," Sirius said. "A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights… I've been stuck inside for a month."

"How come?" Harry asked.

"Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me," Sirius replied, "and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix…or so Dumbledore feels."

"At least you've known what's been going on," Harry said.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said with a sarcastic bite to his tone. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time…asking me how the cleaning's going…"

"What cleaning?" Harry asked.

"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," Sirius said. "No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist, hasn't cleaned anything in ages—"

"Sirius?" Mundungus piped up, holding a goblet in his hands. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Yes," Sirius replied with disgust. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That'd come off, though," Mundungus said thoughtfully. Liza rolled her eyes at him.

"Fred—George—NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. Liza turned to see the cauldron, now full of stew, along with a bottle of butterbeer and a breadboard with a knife flying through the air. The cauldron landed roughly on the table and skidded the entire length before coming to a stop just before it could topple off. The bottle of butterbeer crashed onto the floor, sending liquid everywhere, and the knife fell off the breadboard and landed into the table where Sirius's hand had been a second before. Harry and Sirius were all standing a foot away from the table, while Mundungus had fallen backwards off of his chair.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "THERE WAS NO NEED—I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS—JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW YOU DON'T NEED TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" Fred said defensively. He hurried over to the table and pulled the knife out of the wood, saying, "Sorry Sirius, mate—didn't mean to—" Harry and Sirius, however, were howling with laughter. Mundungus got up off the floor, muttering various swear words under his breath. Mr. Weasley picked up the cauldron of stew and set it in the center of the table.

"Boys," he said calmly, turning to the twins, "your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age—"

"None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley continued, enraged. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't Charm everything he met! Percy—!" She stopped very suddenly, looking very upset.

"Let's eat," Billy cut in, watching his mother warily.

"It looks wonderful, Molly," Lupin said, spooning some stew into a bowl and passing it to her. Everyone took that as their cue to sit down. Lupin passed out more bowls of stew, and there was silence as everyone began their dinner.

"I've been meaning to tell you," Mrs. Weasley said to Sirius, "there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like," Sirius said.

"The curtains in there are full of doxies too," Mrs. Weasley continued. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Sirius said in a bored voice. Next to them, Hermione and Ginny were being entertained by Tonks. Tonks was a Metamorphmagus, which meant she could change her physical appearance at will, and she was changing her nose into different shapes. Hermione and Ginny were soon asking for their favorites.

Meanwhile, Liza was listening to the conversation going on between Mr. Weasley, Lupin, and Bill, who were talking about goblins.

"They're not giving anything away yet," Bill was saying. "I still can't work out whether they believe he's back or not. 'Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it."

"I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who," Mr. Weasley said. "They've suffered losses, too. Remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"

"I think it depends what they're offered," Lupin said. "And I'm not talking about gold; if they're offered freedoms we've been denying them for centuries they're going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"

"Who's Ragnok?" Liza asked with interest.

"He's one of the goblins I work with at Gringotts," Billy replied. "He's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment. He hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know—"

Loud laughter distracted Liza from the goblin conversation, and she looked at where Fred, George, Ron, and Mundungus were sitting. Mundungus was telling them a story.

"—and then," Mundungus said, having trouble talking through his laughter, "and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, ''ere Dung, where didja get all them toads from? 'Cos some son of a Bludger's gone and nicked all mine!' And I says, 'Nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So you'll be wanting some more, then?' And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for twice what 'e paid in the first place—!"

"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus," Mrs. Weasley called from her end of the table as her sons howled with laughter.

"Beg pardon, Molly," Mundungus said. "But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong—"

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons," Mrs. Weasley snapped. Mundungus just shrugged and swallowed some more butterbeer.

After everyone finished with their main course, Mrs. Weasley brought out some rhubarb crumble and custard for dessert. Everyone helped themselves to as much as they could manage, and soon Liza was yawning.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Not just yet, Molly," Sirius said, looking at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort." Liza looked up, intrigued yet wary of Harry's reaction. She didn't feel tired anymore.

"I did!" Harry said. "I asked Ron, Hermione, and Liza but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so—"

"And they're quite right," Mrs. Weasley said through clenched teeth. "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" Sirius shot back. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happening."

"Hang on!" George spoke up indignantly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" Fred asked.

"_We've_ been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" George cried.

"'_You're too young, you're not in the Order_,'" Fred sneered, imitating his mother's voice. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," Sirius said. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand—"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he _needs to know_," Mrs. Weasley replied. Everyone was looking back and forth between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he _needs to know_, Molly," Sirius replied. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back he has more right than most to—"

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" Mrs. Weasley said, her face red. "He's only fifteen and—!"

"And he's dealt with as much as most in the Order," Sirius countered, "and more than some—"

"No one's denying what he's done!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. "But he's still—"

"He's not a child!" Sirius said, losing his patience.

"He's not an adult either!" Mrs. Weasley argued. "He's not _James_, Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," Sirius said, his eyes hard.

"I'm not sure you are!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with that?" Harry cut in.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are _not_ your father, however much you might look like him!" Mrs. Weasley responded. "You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said, "which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home."

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!" Sirius snapped.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley cried, wheeling around to look at her husband. "Arthur, back me up!" But Mr. Weasley didn't answer. He took his glasses off and cleaned them, carefully looking away from his wife. He replaced his glasses on his nose before speaking.

"Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly," he said evenly. "He accepts that Harry will have to be filled in to a certain extent now that he is staying at headquarters."

"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"Personally," Lupin cut in, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts—not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture—from us, rather than a garbled version from…others."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley stammered, looking around for someone who supported her, "well…I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart—"

"He's not your son," Sirius pointed out.

"He's as good as," Mrs. Weasley replied. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said. "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?" Sirius stood up swiftly.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry," Lupin said. "Sirius, sit _down_." Mrs. Weasley was quiet, and Sirius returned to his chair. "I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this," Lupin added. "He's old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry insisted.

"Very well," Mrs. Weasley said. "Ginny—Ron—Hermione—Liza—Fred—George—I want you out of the kitchen, now." This last statement didn't go over so well.

"We're of age!" Fred and George shouted at the same time.

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" Ron cried.

"Mum, I _want_ to!" Ginny whined. Liza looked helplessly at Sirius, who shrugged minutely at her.

"NO!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I absolutely forbid—!"

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," Mr. Weasley said. "They _are_ of age—"

"They're still at school!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"But they're legally adults now," Mr. Weasley replied.

"I—oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron—!" Mrs. Weasley began.

"Harry'll tell me, Hermione, and Liza everything you say anyway!" Ron interrupted. "Won't—won't you?" he asked, glancing to his friend.

"'Course I will," Harry replied.

"Fine!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "Fine! Ginny—BED!" She ushered her daughter out of the room, who was yelling that it was unfair that she couldn't stay. Liza wanted to let Ginny know that she and Hermione would tell Ginny everything when they went up to bed, but she couldn't say it in front of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny's yells woke up Mrs. Black's portrait, and Lupin left the kitchen to stop the racket. When he returned, Sirius looked at Harry.

"Okay, Harry," he said, "what do you want to know?"

"Where's Voldemort?" Harry asked immediately. "What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news, and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything—"

"That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet," Sirius explained, "not as far as we know, anyway… And we know quite a lot."

"More than he thinks we do anyway," Lupin added.

"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked.

"Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself at the moment," Sirius replied. "It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up."

"Or rather, you messed it up for him," Lupin said, smiling.

"How?" Harry asked.

"You weren't supposed to survive!" Sirius exclaimed. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness."

"And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore," Lupin continued. "And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once."

"How has that helped?" Harry asked.

"Are you kidding?" Bill shot back. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!"

"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned," Sirius said.

"So what's the Order been doing?" Harry asked.

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans," Sirius replied.

"How d'you know what his plans are?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea," Lupin said, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate."

"So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?" Harry asked.

"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," Sirius replied. "In the old days he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one group he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters."

"So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?" Harry guessed.

"We're doing our best," Lupin said, nodding.

"How?" Harry asked.

"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard," Bill answered. "It's proving tricky, though."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because of the Ministry's attitude," Tonks said. "You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened."

"But why?" Harry asked impatiently. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore—"

"Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem," Mr. Weasley said. "_Dumbledore_."

"Fudge is frightened of him, you see," Tonks said.

"Frightened of Dumbledore?" Harry echoed.

"Frightened of what he's up to," Mr. Weasley said. "You see, Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister of Magic."

"But Dumbledore doesn't want—" Harry began.

"Of course he doesn't," Mr. Weasley cut in. "He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job."

"Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice," Lupin continued. "But it seems that he's become fond of power now, and much more confident. He loves being Minister of Magic, and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it."

"How can he think that?" Harry raged. "How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up—that _I'd_ make it all up?"

"Because accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years," Sirius answered. "Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilize him."

"You see the problem," Lupin went on. "While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort, it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the _Daily Prophet_ not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumor-mongering, so most of the Wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters, if they're using the Imperius Curse."

"But you're telling people, aren't you?" Harry asked, almost desperately. "You're letting people know he's back?"

"Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass murderer and the Ministry's put a ten-thousand-Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?" Sirius laughed without humor.

"And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community," Lupin said. "It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf."

"Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off," Sirius continued, "and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them."

"We've managed to convince a couple of people, though," Mr. Weasley said. "Tonks here, for one—she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage—Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset too. He's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."

"But if none of you's putting the news out that Voldemort's back—" Harry said.

"Who said none of us was putting the news out?" Sirius asked. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"They're trying to discredit him," Lupin said. "Didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_ last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true, he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot—that's the Wizard High Court—and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards," Bill added, chuckling.

"It's no laughing matter," Mr. Weasley said. "If he carries on defying the Ministry like this, he could end up in Azkaban and the last thing we want is Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to, he's going to go cautiously for a while. If Dumbledore's out of the way—well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field." Liza shuddered at the thought.

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters, it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" Harry reasoned.

"Voldemort doesn't march up to people houses and bang on their front doors, Harry," Sirius said gently. "He tricks, jinxes, and blackmails them. He's well-practiced at operating in secrecy. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in, he's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on them at the moment."

"What's he after apart from followers?" Harry asked.

"Stuff he can only get by stealth," Sirius replied vaguely. Harry frowned, looking confused, and Sirius added, "Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."

"When he was powerful before?" Harry clarified.

"Yes," Sirius replied.

"Like what kind of weapon?" Harry asked. "Something worse than the _Avada Kedavra_—?"

"That's enough," Mrs. Weasley said in a dangerous voice. Liza jumped at the sound of her voice, not having noticed that she had returned.

"I want you in bed, now," Mrs. Weasley said. "All of you." She looked at the other school-aged people in the room.

"You can't boss us—" Fred started.

"Watch me," Mrs. Weasley interrupted angrily. "You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight—"

"No," Lupin cut in. "The Order is comprised only of overage wizards. Wizards who have left school," he added before Fred or George could say anything. "There are dangerous involved of which you can have no idea, any of you…I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough." Sirius shrugged but didn't say anything, and Mrs. Weasley gestured for her sons, Liza, and Hermione to get up.

"Thank you, Sirius," Liza murmured to him when she passed.

"Good night, Liza," Sirius said with a ghost of a smile on his face.

**~LJ:NK~**


	4. Chapter 4 Summer Cleaning

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 4 – Summer Cleaning**

"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," Mrs. Weasley said as she followed her children, Harry, Hermione, and Liza up the stairs. "We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep, so try not to wake her up," she added to Hermione and Liza when they reached the first landing.

"Good night," Hermione and Liza said to the others, and they entered the bedroom. It was much like the other bedrooms in the house, except a third bed had been squeezed in. When Hermione had shut the door, Ginny sat straight up in her bed.

"Tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"Shhh, Ginny," Liza hushed her. "We'll tell you in a minute. Let us get dressed for bed first." She and Hermione quickly pulled on their pajamas and crawled into their beds.

"Now can you tell me?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"Honestly, a lot of stuff that they talked about was stuff we already knew," Liza began in a whisper. "That Fudge and the Ministry doesn't believe us and they're doing everything they can to discredit Dumbledore and Harry. That the Order is trying to recruit people to our side, and not just witches and wizards but also other magical creatures like goblins and giants."

"You-Know-Who's lying low because Harry wasn't supposed to survive," Hermione continued. "But even though he's lying low, he's also been recruiting people and creatures over to his side."

"I can't believe Mum wouldn't let me hear any of this," Ginny grumbled.

"The new piece of information is that You-Know-Who is after something other than troops for his army," Liza said. "Sirius was very vague about it, but he said that You-Know-Who is after something like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."

"A weapon?" Ginny repeated, sounding puzzled.

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed suddenly. The other two girls fell silent as they listened to feet coming back down the stairs. Whoever it was paused on the landing, obviously listening for talking. After a few moments, the person continued down the stairs.

"That was probably your mum," Hermione said quietly. "She told us she didn't want us to stay up talking."

"But what kind of weapon could You-Know-Who be looking for?" Ginny asked.

"No idea," Liza said. "You'd think that he wouldn't need one. He's got a wand, that's all the weapon a wizard needs, isn't it?"

"We should probably get to sleep," Hermione said. "Like Mrs. Weasley said, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"I suppose you're right," Liza sighed. "Good night Hermione, Ginny."

"Good night," came two voices on either side of Liza. Liza pulled her covers up to her chin and fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

The following morning after breakfast, Liza joined Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, and Ginny in the drawing room to begin decontamination. Mrs. Weasley first had them tie some cloths around their noses and mouths and gave them each a spray bottle full of black liquid.

"Cover your faces and take a spray," Mrs. Weasley instructed as Harry and Ron finally joined the rest of the group. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad—_what _that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years—"

"Kreacher's really old," Hermione spoke up indignantly, "he probably couldn't manage—"

"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," Sirius said as he entered the drawing room. He was carrying a bag full of rats. "I've just been feeding Buckbeak," he explained when they all looked at the bag. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom. Anyway…this writing desk—" He set the bag of rats down and looked at the desk in question. "Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a boggart," he remarked, "but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out—knowing my mother it could be something much worse."

"Right you are, Sirius," Mrs. Weasley said. There was a sound of a bell from somewhere downstairs, and Mrs. Black's portrait began to cause a ruckus again.

"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" Sirius complained. He left the room to stop the noises.

"Close the door, please, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, and Harry went very slowly to close the door. When he finally closed it and returned to the group, Mrs. Weasley turned to the book that was sitting open on the couch.

"Right, you lot, you need to be careful, because doxies bite and their teeth are poisonous," Mrs. Weasley informed them. "I've got a bottle of antidote here, but I'd rather nobody needed it." She stood up and gathered them around the curtains in the room. There was a loud buzzing noise coming from behind them. "When I say the word, start spraying immediately," Mrs. Weasley continued. "They'll come flying out at us, I expect, but it says on the sprays one good squirt will paralyze them. When they're immobilized, just throw them in this bucket." They all lined up with their bottles pointed to the curtains. "All right—_squirt_!"

They all began spraying at the curtains. Doxies flew out of them, flying angrily towards their attackers. Liza sprayed two quickly in the face, and they both became paralyzed and fell to the floor. She picked them up and tossed them into Mrs. Weasley's bucket.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Spray that at once and throw it away!" Fred was holding a doxy up, studying it as it struggled to get free.

"Right-o," Fred said, squirting the doxy directly in the face. The doxy was paralyzed immediately, but Liza saw Fred pocket the creature instead of throwing it in the bucket. Liza shook her head and continued to spray doxies out of the air.

The spraying took a few hours, and finally Mrs. Weasley told them they could take their masks off. The curtains were now silent and damp from all the spray, and the paralyzed doxies were sitting in the bucket on the floor. There was also a bowl of doxy eggs that they had discovered as well.

"I think we'll tackle _those_ after lunch," Mrs. Weasley said, pointing at a set of cabinets, which looked like they were full of odds and ends. Downstairs the doorbell rang again, and Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Stay here," she told them all. "I'll bring up some sandwiches." She left the room, shutting the door behind them, and everyone else ran to the windows to look at the front stoop.

"Mundungus!" Hermione exclaimed. Liza looked down to the front door to see the man with his arms full of cauldrons.

"What's he brought all those cauldrons for?" Liza asked.

"Probably looking for a safe place to keep them," Harry said. "Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Fred said. Below, the front door opened, and Mundungus disappeared inside. "Blimey, Mum won't like that…" He and George scampered across the room and pressed their ears up to the door. Mrs. Black's screams could no longer be heard.

"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred reported as he listened. "Can't hear properly…d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"

"Might be worth it," George replied. "I could sneak upstairs and get a pair—" But then Mrs. Weasley began shouting at the top of her voice, and there was no need for Extendable Ears to hear what she was saying.

"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!" she screamed.

"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," Fred said, opening the door a crack so they could hear better. "It makes such a nice change."

"—COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE," Mrs. Weasley continued to shriek, "AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE!"

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," George said. "You've got to head her off early, otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours. And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry—and there goes Sirius's mum again—" He went to push the door closed, but before he shut it, Kreacher was able to shuffle inside.

"Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot," Kreacher was mumbling to himself, "but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let in her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do—"

"Hello, Kreacher," Fred said, catching the elf's attention. He stopped for a moment and then pretended to be surprised.

"Kreacher did not see Young Master," he said. He bowed low to Fred, but muttered darkly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is."

"Sorry?" George said. "Didn't catch that last bit."

"Kreacher said nothing," the elf said, giving George a bow, but then he said again to the carpet, "and there's its twin, unnatural little beasts they are." Liza shook her head but said nothing to the elf, who stood up straight again.

"—and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass," Kreacher continued under his breath, "oh if my Mistress knew, oh how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name, what is he doing here, Kreacher doesn't know—"

"This is Harry, Kreacher," Hermione introduced. "Harry Potter." Kreacher's eyes widened.

"The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend," he said in a panicked voice, "if Kreacher's Mistress saw him in such company, oh what would she say—"

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" Ron, Liza, and Ginny all snapped at the elf.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione said, "he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's saying—"

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows _exactly_ what he's saying," Fred interrupted her. Kreacher wasn't listening to them, but rather examining Harry.

"Is it true?" Kreacher asked himself. "Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, that's that boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it—"

"Don't we all, Kreacher?" Fred sighed.

"What do you want anyway?" George asked.

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf replied.

"A likely story," Sirius said, returning to the drawing room. Kreacher jumped and then bowed very low to the ground at the sight of his master. "Stand up straight," Sirius told the elf. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," Kreacher repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black—"

"And it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," Sirius said.

"Master always liked his little joke," Kreacher said. Then he began to mutter again, saying, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart—"

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius said. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

"Whatever Master says," Kreacher said, bowing once more. Then he snarled darkly, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was—"

"I asked you what you were up to," Sirius said. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out."

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," Kreacher said, then muttered, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it—"

"I thought it might be that," Sirius said, looking at the wall on the other side of the room from the window. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."

"—comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around," Kreacher grumbled as he grudgingly and slowly left the room, "oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too—"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" Sirius snapped, and he threw the door of the drawing room shut.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione said, "I don't think he realizes we can hear him."

"He's been alone too long," Sirius commented, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little—"

"If you just set him free," Hermione said quickly, "maybe—"

"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," Sirius said. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."

"If he died from shock, then he'd be out of the way and he couldn't tell anyone about the Order," Liza suggested, chuckling. Hermione gave her a hurt look, but Sirius also let out a laugh. Then he walked over to the tapestry that he had mentioned, and the others followed him.

On the tapestry was a large family tree. It was very faded and looked like the doxies may have tried to eat some of it. At the top was a label that read "the noble and most ancient house of Black", and directly under that was the phrase "Toujours Pur".

"You're not on here!" Harry exclaimed, looking at the bottom of the tree.

"I used to be there," Sirius replied, gesturing to a small hole in the tapestry. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home—Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."

"You ran away from home?" Liza asked interestedly.

"When I was about sixteen," Sirius answered. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" Harry asked.

"Your dad's place," Sirius replied, smiling. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold—he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why—anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome and Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."

"But…why did you—?" Harry asked.

"Leave?" Sirius finished for him. "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal…my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them…that's him." He pointed at the spot next to where his name used to be. The name Regulus Black was printed there, along with the dates of his birth and death.

"He was younger than me," Sirius added, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"But he died," Liza said, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Stupid idiot…he joined the Death Eaters."

"You're kidding!" Harry exclaimed.

"Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" Sirius asked.

"Were—were your parents Death Eaters as well?" Harry asked.

"No, no," Sirius said, shaking his head, "but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge. They weren't alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colors, who thought he had the right idea about things... They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked.

"Oh no," Sirius said. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."

"Lunch," Mrs. Weasley called from the doorway. She was carrying a tray full of sandwiches and cake. She still looked quite angry about Mundungus and his cauldrons. The Weasleys and Hermione went over to get their food, but Harry and Liza stayed with Sirius by the tapestry.

"I haven't looked at this for years," Sirius said as he took a closer look. "There's Phineas Nigellus…my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had…and Araminta Meliflua…cousin of my mother's…tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal…and dear Aunt Elladora…she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays…of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her—he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him—"

"You and Tonks are related?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah, her mother, Andromeda, was my favorite cousin," Sirius explained. "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look…" He pointed to another hole that was between the names Bellatrix and Narcissa. "Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so…" He pretended to point a wand at the tapestry and blast a name off.

"You're related to the Malfoys!" Harry said, pointing at the name next to Narcissa, which was Lucius Malfoy. Draco Malfoy was underneath them.

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated," Sirius said dismissively. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods your choice is very limited, there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here—if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's the Weasleys."

"Ha!" Liza said, finally finding the name she was looking for. "Look, here's John and his family…" She pointed to where the McDevlyns were listed on the other side of the tree.

"I didn't even think that your boyfriend might be on this thing," Sirius said. "Very interesting."

"Lestrange…" Harry said, looking at the name Bellatrix.

"They're in Azkaban," Sirius replied. "Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch, Junior. Rodolphus's brother, Rabastan, was with them too."

"You never said she was your—" Harry started.

"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" Sirius interrupted hotly. "As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. _She's_ certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming in to Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having relatives like her?"

"Sirius," Liza said softly.

"Sorry," Harry said, "I didn't mean—I was just surprised, that's all—"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologize," Sirius said. He turned his back on the tapestry. "I don't like being back here," he explained. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again. It's ideal for headquarters, of course. My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind on it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call—as if they'd have wanted to—and now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know—nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is—that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore… If my parents could see the use it was being put to now…well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea…" He let out a sigh and said, "I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing—as Snuffles, obviously—so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?"

Harry didn't say anything. Instead he looked over at where all the others were having lunch.

"Don't worry," Sirius said, and Harry turned back to him. "I'm sure they're going to clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

"Yeah, Harry, it'll be okay," Liza said, smiling.

"But if they do expel me," Harry mumbled, "can I come here and live with you?"

"We'll see," Sirius replied.

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys," Harry added, sounding hopeful.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place," Sirius said.

"Hurry up, you three, or there won't be any food left," Mrs. Weasley said loudly, looking at the three of them. They went over to the tray to get some sandwiches.

After lunch, they began to empty out the cabinets. It was a lot more difficult than Liza thought it would be, as many of the objects seemed to want to stay put. The first thing Sirius attempted to pull out was a snuffbox, and it bit his hand, turning it dark and crusty.

"It's okay," Sirius assured them, examining his hand before waving his wand over it, returning it to normal, "must be Wartcap powder in there." Then he tossed the box into a large sack where they were throwing all the things to be thrown out.

There were many other interesting objects in the cabinets as well. There was a silver instrument that crawled up Harry's arm as soon as he'd picked it up. Sirius grabbed it, threw it down onto the floor, and smashed it with a book called _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_. There was also a music box, which they opened to hear what it sounded like. A few minutes later, they were practically falling asleep when Ginny quickly shut it and the music ceased. Next was a locket that none of them could open, a pile of old seals, and an Order of Merlin, First Class, which had belonged to Sirius's grandfather.

"It means he gave them loads of gold," Sirius sneered, tossing the medal into the sack with everything else.

They were doing very well with the cleaning. The only hindrance was Kreacher, who kept coming into the room to try and smuggle things out of their garbage sack. They caught him every time, and he would mutter darkly as he retreated from the room again. The last thing he tried to steal was a large gold ring with the Black family crest on it, and Sirius had to practically wrestle it out of Kreacher's hands. Kreacher burst into tears and ran from the room.

"It was my father's," Sirius explained, dropping the ring back into the garbage sack. "Kreacher wasn't _quite_ as devoted to him as to my mother, but I still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last week."

**~LJ:NK~**

The next few days were just like the rest of the summer had been for Liza and the Weasleys, except now Harry was with them as well. They finished the drawing room in three days, and then set to work on the next room.

The doorbell rang many times a day, bringing in members of the Order. Harry, Liza, Hermione, and the Weasleys were constantly trying to eavesdrop to find out any information they could, but Mrs. Weasley would call them back to their work before they could hear anything good. Most of the time, whoever had rang the bell only stayed for a little while, but sometimes they stayed longer. Tonks spent an afternoon helping them with a ghoul they had found in one of the upstairs bathrooms, and Lupin helped to fix an old grandfather clock. Even Mundungus helped out for a little while one day, saving Ron from being strangled by a set of old robes .

Then, on Wednesday evening at dinner, they were all reminded of Harry's hearing.

"I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry," she said to Harry, "and I want you to wash your hair tonight too. A good first impression can work wonders." Liza stopped eating and looked at her brother.

"How am I getting there?" he asked, trying to appear calm.

"Arthur's taking you to work with him," Mrs. Weasley replied.

"You can wait in my office until it's time for the hearing," Mr. Weasley added from across the table. Harry glanced at Sirius.

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you," Mrs. Weasley said at once, "and I must say I—"

"—think he's _quite right_," Sirius finished for her, looking upset.

"When did Dumbledore tell you that?" Harry asked.

"He came last night, when you were in bed," Mr. Weasley replied. There was a tense silence, and Mrs. Weasley took that as her cue to hustle them all off to bed.

"I know it seems early, but there is a small meeting tonight," she explained as she herded the seven kids up the stairs. "You don't have to go to sleep just yet, but don't stay up too late."

Liza, Hermione, and Ginny entered their room and changed into their pajamas.

"Do you think they'll expel Harry?" Ginny asked at once.

"Hard to say," Liza said. "I mean, Hermione and Sirius have both said that there are laws protecting underage witches and wizards so that they can do magic in emergency situations."

"Do you think they'll believe Harry about the dementors?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. "I mean, they only know that Harry did magic, but they don't know why he did it. The dementors are supposed to be under Ministry control. How would they ever explain two dementors being away from Azkaban?"

"Dunno," Liza said. "Are there wild dementors around? Ones that _aren't_ under Ministry control?"

"I suppose it could be possible," Hermione said slowly. "But I'm sure the Ministry believes they have _all_ the dementors under control, at least in Britain."

"Poor Harry," Ginny said sadly. "Well, if he is expelled, hopefully he'll be able to come back here and not be sent back to his Muggle family." With that, the girls became silent. Hermione and Ginny chose to sit in bed and read, and Liza laid back onto her pillow. The next day was bound to be a very interesting day, indeed.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: I forgot to mention this on the first chapter, but if you're new to my stories, I just wanted to let you know that I don't upload on a schedule. I work on a chapter, and when it's finished, I post it. Just an FYI to any new readers.**_


	5. Chapter 5 He Got Off

_**A/N: Sorry it's been a little while! I've been having some writer's block problems, but here's chapter 5 for you!**_

**Chapter 5 – He Got Off**

Liza woke up very early the next morning, while Hermione and Ginny were still asleep. Instead of trying to go back to bed, Liza decided to get up. She quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a comfy sweatshirt and left the bedroom. Going downstairs, she entered the kitchen to find Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley sitting at one end of the table.

"Morning, Liza," Lupin said, sounding surprised.

"Good morning," Liza greeted them. Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen behind Liza, and she was also surprised to see her.

"Are you sure you don't want to get any more sleep, Liza?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, I'm okay," Liza replied. "Just feeling a little anxious for Harry." She looked at Sirius, who was giving her a knowing look. Mrs. Weasley walked around the table to sit next to her husband.

"Good morning, dear," Mr. Weasley said, pecking his wife on the cheek. Tonks yawned and rubbed one of her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"Would you like some tea, Liza?" Mr. Weasley asked, gesturing to the teapot on the table. Liza sat down next to Sirius and helped herself to some tea. Tonks continued her conversation with the others, but Liza didn't listen.

Soon, Harry joined them, looking tired and nervous. Mrs. Weasley jumped up from her seat as soon as he entered.

"Breakfast," she trilled. She went to the fire and started it with her wand.

"M-m-morning, Harry," Tonks yawned. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"I've b-b-been up all night," she explained through another yawn. "Come and sit down…" She pulled out a chair for Harry, and he sat in it.

"Good morning, Harry," Liza said, smiling at her brother. He nodded back at her.

"What do you want, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked from the fire. "Porridge? Muffins? Kippers? Bacon and eggs? Toast?"

"Just—just toast, thanks," Harry said. Mrs. Weasley set to work on his breakfast, and Lupin cleared his throat, looking at Tonks.

"What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" he asked.

"Oh…yeah…" Tonks said, frowning. "Well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions…" Liza watched Harry from the corner of her eye, not paying attention to the conversation happening at the table, as she sipped her tea. Mrs. Weasley put a plate of toast in front of Harry, who tried to eat it. Then Mrs. Weasley began to fuss with Harry's shirt, making sure that it was laying flat.

"And I'll have to tell Dumbledore I can't do night duty tomorrow, I'm just t-t-too tired," Tonks was saying, pulling Liza's attention back to her.

"I'll cover for you," Mr. Weasley volunteered. "I'm okay, I've got a report to finish anyway…" Then he turned to Harry and asked, "How are you feeling?" Harry only shrugged, and Mr. Weasley said, "It'll all be over soon. In a few hours' time you'll be cleared. The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," Tonks said. "She's fair, she'll hear you out." Harry nodded.

"Don't lose your temper," Sirius added bluntly. "Be polite and stick to the facts."

"The law's on your side," Lupin reminded him gently. "Even underage wizard are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations." Harry let out a gasp, and Liza looked over at him to see Mrs. Weasley trying to tame Harry's hair with a wet comb.

"Doesn't it ever lie flat?" she asked, sounding frustrated. Harry shook his head, sending water drops onto the table. Mr. Weasley looked at his watch.

"I think we'll go now," he said. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off there than hanging around here."

"Okay," Harry agreed, standing up from the table.

"You'll be all right, Harry," Tonks said, patting Harry's arm.

"Good luck," Lupin chimed in. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"And if it's not," Sirius said gruffly, "I'll see to Amelia Bones for you…" Liza stood up and hugged Harry tightly.

"Everything will be okay," she muttered to him. Harry hugged her back but said nothing. Then Mrs. Weasley hugged him as well.

"We've all got our fingers crossed," she told him.

"Right," Harry said. "Well…see you later then." He followed Mr. Weasley from the room.

"Sirius," Liza began as soon as Harry had left, "if Harry does get expelled, you're not going to let him go back to that Muggle family of his, are you? He can stay here with you, can't he?"

"I don't know, Liza," Sirius replied, sounding miserable at the thought of Harry having to leave again.

"Do you think he'll be expelled?" Liza asked, looking at Lupin and Tonks as well.

"He shouldn't be," Tonks said. "There were dementors attacking him, so he fought back. He had to use magic to save his own life…"

"But?" Liza prompted, knowing that the adults in the room weren't entirely speaking their minds.

"_But_ the Ministry is doing everything in their power to discredit Dumbledore and Harry," Lupin said. "There's a chance that they'll try to use an expulsion to show that Harry is unstable."

"Some justice system," Liza muttered darkly.

"Fudge is just scared of losing his power," Sirius said. "Of course he's going to do anything he can to hold onto it. But, thankfully, the decision isn't only up to him."

"This ruling could go either way," Tonks added sadly.

"We need to take our minds off this," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "There's nothing we can do except wait. Would any of you like anything for breakfast?"

**~LJ:NK~**

It was another few hours before the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione had woken up and eaten breakfast. They were all very anxious to hear what had happened before Harry left, even if there wasn't much for Liza to tell them.

Mrs. Weasley kept them very busy that morning to keep them distracted. They managed to finish cleaning another bathroom by lunchtime, so Mrs. Weasley decided to have lunch down in the kitchen. That's where they were when Mr. Weasley escorted Harry back into the house.

"Well?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously as everyone else became silent.

"I got off," Harry replied, grinning. There was an uproar of cheering. Liza launched herself at Harry and wrapped him in a hug. Fred and George began a little dance in the middle of the kitchen, and Ginny soon joined them.

"_He got off, he got off, he got off_," they chanted gleefully.

"I knew it!" Ron cried. "You always get away with stuff!"

"They were bound to clear you," Hermione said, looking relieved. "There was no case against you, none at all—"

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," Harry teased.

"_He got off, he got off, he got off—_"

"That's enough, settle down!" Mr. Weasley said over the noise. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry—"

"What?" Sirius asked in surprise.

"_He got off, he got off, he got off_—"

"Be quiet, you three!" Mr. Weasley said to his kids. "Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," Sirius agreed. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going," Mr. Weasley said, "there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner—"

"_He got off, he got off, he got off_—"

"That's enough—Fred—George—Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said loudly after giving her husband a good-bye kiss. "Harry dear, come and sit down, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast…" Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza all sat down at the table.

"Tell us exactly what happened!" Liza said as Mrs. Weasley bustled to finished the lunch. Harry told them what happened, from the hearing's time and place being changed to Dumbledore arriving with Mrs. Figg.

"'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there w as no way they were going to convict you," Ron said, dishing up some mashed potatoes that Mrs. Weasley had just put on the table.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," Harry agreed. Then, suddenly, he put his hand to his forehead.

"What's up?" Hermione asked.

"Scar," Harry said quietly so that only Ron, Liza, and Hermione heard him. "But it's nothing… It happens all the time now…" Hermione and Liza exchanged a worried glance.

"I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know," Ron said eagerly.

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," Mrs. Weasley replied, putting a plate of chicken onto the table. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"_HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF_—!"

SHUT UP!" Mrs. Weasley thundered.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next few days passed by in a happier blur. They were still decontaminating the house and trying to spy on Order meetings, but now everyone knew that Harry would be going back to Hogwarts with them in a few weeks. There was only one person who didn't seem as happy as the rest of them.

"I feel like Sirius has been avoiding me lately," Harry said to Hermione, Ron, and Liza one day while they were cleaning a room on the third floor. "He's been spending a lot more time with Buckbeak and away from us. Do you think he's mad that I'm going back to school?"

"I'm sure he's not," Liza said reassuringly. "Sirius knows that your education is important."

"Don't you go feeling guilty!" Hermione added. "You belong at Hogwarts, and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish."

"That's a bit harsh, Hermione," Ron said, "you wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without company."

"He'll have company!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."

"I don't think that's true," Harry replied. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."

"Yeah, he didn't give me one either, when I asked him about it after Harry left for his hearing," Liza said.

"He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," Hermione said. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together."

"Come off it!" Harry and Ron both said.

"Suit yourselves," Hermione said loftily. "But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right, and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."

"So you think he's touched in the head?" Harry asked testily.

"No," Hermione said, shaking her head. "I think he's just been lonely for a long time."

"It doesn't help that you _are_ the spitting image of your father," Liza added.

Mrs. Weasley came into the room. "Still not finished?" she asked, examining the cupboard they had been cleaning.

"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!" Ron cried incredulously. "D'you know how much mold we've got rid of since we arrived here?"

"You were so keen to help the Order, you can do your bit by making headquarters fit to live in," Mrs. Weasley shot back. She turned and left the room again.

"I feel like a house-elf," Ron muttered.

"Well, now that you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in S.P.E.W.!" Hermione exclaimed. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time—we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to S.P.E.W., it would raise awareness as well as funds—"

"I'll sponsor you to shut up about _spew_," Ron said under his breath.

"What was that, Ron?" Liza asked loudly, and Hermione looked at him curiously.

"Nothing," Ron replied, glaring at Liza, who smirked back at him.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of Liza's summer holiday was spent cleaning the house. Members of the Order continued to pass through, but Mrs. Weasley kept the Hogwarts-aged kids well away from any visitors. Liza and the others weren't able to get any more information from the adults.

On the last day of vacation, their Hogwarts letters finally arrived.

"Hey," Ginny said, entering the girls' bedroom that morning. She handed the other two girls their letters. "Hogwarts letters are here."

"Cutting it a bit short this year, aren't they?" Liza asked, ripping hers open. There was the usual welcoming letter and the list of new supplies they would need.

"Ohhh!" Hermione squealed, emptying her envelope onto her bed. Along with her letter and list, there was a red and gold badge sitting on the bed. She picked it up and held it out for Ginny and Liza to look at. On the badge was a Gryffindor lion with a P.

"Hermione the prefect," Ginny commented, smiling. "Well, there's no surprise there. We all knew you'd get it. No offense, Liza," she added, glancing at Liza, who waved her off.

"That's perfectly okay," she said. "I have no interest in being prefect. There's one boy and girl from fifth year, though, right? Which boy do you think got it?"

"Probably Harry, right?" Ginny guessed. "I mean, he's Dumbledore's favorite."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Liza said.

"I'm going to go see if he got it," Hermione said. "Coming, Liza?"

"Yeah, sure," Liza said. "Ginny?"

"No, you two go on ahead," Ginny said. So Liza and Hermione left their room and went to Harry and Ron's room. When they opened the door, they found Harry, Ron, Fred, and George all looking confused. Harry was holding a similar red and gold badge in his hand.

"Did you—did you get—?" Hermione asked breathlessly, looking at Harry. Her eyes zeroed in on the badge, and she cried, "I knew it! Me too, Harry, me too!"

"No," Harry said, handing the badge over to Ron. "It's Ron, not me."

"What?" Liza asked, looking at Fred and George.

"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry repeated.

"_Ron_?" Hermione asked. "But…are you sure? I mean…" She trailed off, looking at Ron.

"It's my name on the letter," Ron said indignantly.

"I—" Hermione stammered. "I…well…wow! Well done, Ron! That's really—"

"Unexpected," George finished for her.

"No," Hermione insisted, although she was blushing, "no, it's not…Ron's done loads of…he's really—" The door to the bedroom opened, cutting her off. Mrs. Weasley came in, carrying freshly washed school robes.

"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, sorting through the robes to find Harry's and Ron's. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing…what color would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," George said.

"Match his what?" Mrs. Weasley asked, distracted.

"His _badge_," Fred echoed. "His lovely shiny new _prefect's badge_." Mrs. Weasley looked around at her sons, bewildered.

"His…but…Ron, you're not—?" she spluttered. Ron held the badge up so his mother could see it, and she let out a shriek. "I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" George demanded in annoyance, but Mrs. Weasley only had eyes for Ron. She grabbed him and hugged him.

"Wait until your father hears!" she cried. "Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh _Ronnie_—!" Fred and George both mimed throwing up.

"Mum…don't…Mum, get a grip," Ron said as Mrs. Weasley began to kiss him all over his face.

"Well, what will it be?" Mrs. Weasley asked when she let go of him. "We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

"W-what do you mean?" Ron asked.

"You've got to have a reward for this!" Mrs. Weasley replied, beaming. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

"We've already bought him some," Fred said.

"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers," Mrs. Weasley continued. Liza snorted at the mention of Scabbers.

"Mum, can I have a new broom?" Ron asked, looking hopeful. Mrs. Weasley's smile fell from her face. "Not a really good one!" Ron added quickly. "Just—just a new one for a change—"

"Of _course_ you can," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling again. "Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later… Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks… A prefect…Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She kissed Ron on the cheek and then left the room again.

"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" Fred asked.

"We could curtsy, if you like," George added.

"Oh, shut up," Ron scowled.

"Or what?" Fred asked. "Going to put us in detention?"

"I'd love to see him try," George sniggered.

"He could if you don't watch out!" Hermione said. Fred and George laughed.

"Drop it, Hermione," Ron moaned.

"We're going to have to watch our step, George," Fred said, "with these two on our case—"

"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," George said sarcastically.

"Okay, enough," Liza said, shaking her head. "Leave Ron and Hermione alone, you two."

"Only for you, Little E," George said, and he and Fred Disapparated.

"Those two!" Hermione said angrily, looking up at the ceiling. They could hear Fred and George laughing in the room one floor above them. "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!"

"I don't think they are," Ron replied. "They've always said only prats become prefects… Still, they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose… She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great… Yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows…" He hurried out of the room. Harry picked up the pile of clothes Mrs. Weasley had brought in for him and started to put things away in his trunk.

"Harry?" Hermione asked after an awkward silence.

"Well done," Harry said. "Brilliant. Prefect. Great."

"Thanks," Hermione said. "Erm—Harry—could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased—I mean, prefect is something they can understand—"

"Yeah, no problem," Harry said. "Take her!" Hermione crossed the room and called Hedwig to her. Then Hermione left the room, taking the owl with her, but Liza stayed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked as soon as she and Harry were alone.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. He straightened up and looked at Liza, who was watching him closely. "Really," he added. "I'm happy for them. They'll be great prefects." Liza just stared at him, not saying anything for a few more seconds.

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me what's really going on in your head, you don't have to," she finally said. "But if you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm here, as cheesy as that sounds."

"Thanks," Harry said quietly, and Liza left the room. When she got back to the girls' room, she found Ginny folding things to put in her trunk and Hermione bent over a piece of parchment, writing a letter to her parents.

"Did Hermione tell you the good news?" Liza asked Ginny, sitting down on Ginny's bed and crossing her legs underneath her.

"Oh—no," Hermione said quickly, looking up. "I'm sorry, I was too excited to write to my parents." She bent back over her parchment.

"You won't mind if I tell her then?" Liza asked, smirking at the look of frustration on Ginny's face. Hermione shook her head. "Are you sure?" Liza said.

"Just tell me!" Ginny exclaimed. Liza laughed.

"We have another prefect in the house," Liza said, "but it isn't Harry." Ginny's mouth fell open.

"_Ron_?" she asked. "Ron's been made prefect?"

"You know, I'm not sure why everyone is so confused as to why Ron got it," Liza said.

"Well, Harry's Dumbledore's favorite," Ginny echoed from her earlier statement. "Everyone figured he'd get it. And honestly, after Harry, I would've possibly picked Dean. He's gotten in far less trouble than Harry and Ron, and he's less clumsy than Neville, and he's a bit brighter than Seamus."

"I suppose I never thought of the other three," Liza admitted.

For the rest of the afternoon, the girls were packing their trunks for the journey back to school. Liza was surprised to find how far her things had spread throughout the house. She had finally found all her things by late afternoon, and she had her trunk mostly packed by the time Mrs. Weasley had returned from her trip to Diagon Alley.

"I've got your books and things, girls," Mrs. Weasley said, entering their room with her arms full of parcels. "Ginny, here are your things… Hermione, here you are… And Liza, there you go. Don't bother opening anything up right now, we have guests arriving, and I'd like you all to head down to the kitchen."

The girls tossed their new things into their trunks and headed downstairs. They were joined by Harry, Ron, Fred and George on the stairs, and when they entered the kitchen, they found a large banner hung above the table that said Congratulations Ron and Hermione—New Prefects.

"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," Mrs. Weasley explained to them. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron, I've sent them both owls and they're _thrilled_." Fred rolled his eyes, and Liza elbowed him in the side.

Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley were already gathered in the kitchen. The Hogwarts students all helped themselves to butterbeer, and Moody joined them shortly after.

"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," Mrs. Weasley said to him in greeting. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages—could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."

"No problem, Molly," Moody said, turning his magical eye toward the ceiling. "Drawing room," he mused aloud. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it… Yeah, it's a boggart… Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself later," Mrs. Weasley replied, shaking her head. "You have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually…" She pointed out the banner to him. "Fourth prefect in the family!" She ruffled Ron's hair, who groaned in annoyance.

"Prefect, eh?" Moody asked, looking at Ron. "Well, congratulations, authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you…"

"Cheerful," Liza muttered to Ginny, who was standing next to her. Bill and Mr. Weasley arrived next, both offering their congratulations to Ron and then Hermione. They had also brought Mundungus with them, but Mrs. Weasley seemed too happy to mind.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," Mr. Weasley announced when everyone was gathered. He raised his own goblet and said, "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!" Hermione looked absolutely ecstatic, and Ron looked much happier now that the idea of him being prefect had sunk in.

"I was never a prefect myself," Tonks said as everyone began to fill their plates with food. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"Like the ability to behave myself," Tonks replied. Ginny and Liza laughed, while Hermione accidentally took a large swig of butterbeer and began to choke on it. Ginny smacked Hermione on the back a few times.

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked across the table. Sirius let out a guffaw.

"No one would have made me prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James," he said. "Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," Lupin said dryly. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

Liza and Ginny piled up their plates and took a seat against the wall.

"So, are you upset that you weren't chosen for prefect?" Ginny asked as they started eating.

"No," Liza replied. "I mean, I always knew Hermione would get it. I think she deserves it. Did you see how happy she was? Besides, I'm perfectly happy with being just a regular student."

"You and me both, sister," Ginny said, chuckling.

The party went on for quite some time. Mrs. Weasley was the first one to head out of the kitchen for bed, telling her husband to make sure the kids would go to bed at a decent time. Not long after that, Liza saw Harry leave as well. Sirius, Lupin, and Moody hurried out of the room a few minutes later.

"What's going on?" Liza asked Mr. Weasley.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "I'm sure it's nothing too exciting. Speaking of exciting, you kids ought to be heading up to bed soon, so you'll be nice and refreshed for the trip to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Aw, Dad," Ginny complained, "do we have to?"

"Yes, yes, I promised your mother I'd get you all up to bed at a decent time," Mr. Weasley said. "You can finish your drinks, but after that I want you upstairs and in bed." Liza and Ginny gulped down the rest of their butterbeer and joined Hermione.

"Your brother has done nothing but talk about his new broomstick," Hermione told Ginny. "I think I've heard him talk about how fast it can go about six times tonight.

"Can you blame him?" Ginny asked. "He's never really had anything new before, besides his wand. I wish I could have a broomstick, too. I think there are openings on the Quidditch team this year, after all…"

"Just Keeper," Liza said. "I wonder who the captain is going to be? Fred and George didn't get it, so it must be Angelina, Alicia, or Katie."

"Truthfully, I was hoping for less Quidditch talk with you two," Hermione moaned.

"Come on, let's go up to bed," Liza said. The three girls went around the room, saying good night to everyone who was still there, and then they climbed the stairs and entered their bedroom.

"This is the last night in this bedroom," Ginny pointed out as Hermione shut the door behind them. "I am more than ready to get back to my four-poster at school."

"Same here," Liza said, going to her trunk and unwrapping the parcels Mrs. Weasley had gotten from Diagon Alley for her. She had the two new textbooks that had been on her list of supplies and also some more ink and potions ingredients.

"So, Hogwarts tomorrow," Ginny said, looking at Liza. "Are you excited to see your boyfriend?" Liza blushed.

"Yes," she mumbled. Ginny giggled, and Hermione suppressed a grin.

"How about you?" Hermione asked the younger student. "Aren't you excited to see _your_ boyfriend?" Ginny had began dating a Ravenclaw boy named Michael Corner, who was starting his fifth year at Hogwarts, at the end of the previous year.

"Yes," Ginny replied, unembarrassed. "But I'm dating a Ravenclaw, and Liza's dating a Slytherin whose father is a Death Eater."

"Don't remind me," Liza said. "What with John's father being a Death Eater and me being holed up here with limited mail, we've hardly been able to talk all summer."

"Well, you'll be reunited tomorrow!" Ginny said with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, thankfully," Liza said. She finished putting her new things away in her trunk and shut the lid. "I think I have everything. Even Boots." She turned to her bed where her black and white tuxedo cat was curled up, snoozing away.

"I have to make sure I can find Crookshanks in the morning," Hermione said as she put a few last things into her trunk. "He hates traveling in that basket of his, and sometimes I think he'd much rather stay here with Sirius."

"He'll turn up in the morning," Liza said. Then, as if on cue, they heard a scratching and meowing coming from the other side of the bedroom door. "Speak of the devil," Liza added, and Boots lifted her head up sleepily. Hermione went to the door and opened it, letting her cat Crookshanks saunter inside.

"Well, I think it's time to go to sleep," Ginny said, having changed into her pajamas. She got into her bed and sighed, "Tomorrow I'll be back in my four-poster." Liza giggled. She and Hermione also changed into their pajamas and got into their beds.

"Good night," Liza, Hermione, and Ginny chorused to one another. Liza smiled, curling up around her cat, and quickly fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**


	6. Chapter 6 An Eccentric New Friend

_**A/N: So it's been a while, and I'm sorry about that. I just haven't been able to get into that writing mood. Since I last updated, I've had my birthday, and then there was Thanksgiving, and now I've been doing Christmas things, so I've been a bit busy. I also work every afternoon during the week. I'm really bummed out that I can't get back into writing because I was really looking forward to writing this story. Oh well. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope that you'll continue to stick with me.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 6 – An Eccentric New Friend**

The next morning was as hectic as it always was. Mrs. Weasley was running up and down the stairs, trying to wake all the Hogwarts students and get them ready to leave.

"Good morning, Liza," Lupin said when Liza entered the kitchen. Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Tonks, and Moody were also in the kitchen.

"Morning," Liza said. She picked up a bit of toast from the table and asked, "What's going on?"

"We're going to be leaving for the train station in groups," Moody explained. "Everyone's here except Sturgis Podmore."

"Who's Sturgis Podmore?" Liza asked, frowning.

"It doesn't matter," Moody said, shaking his head. "He's supposed to escort Harry with Molly and Tonks, and if he doesn't show up, we'll be a man short."

"Don't worry about it, Liza," Mr. Weasley said kindly. "We'll manage. Is your trunk packed?"

"Yes, I finished it last night," Liza replied.

"Good," Mr. Weasley said. "If you and the other girls could get your luggage down to the front door, it would be very helpful." Liza nodded and went back upstairs to her room.

"Mr. Weasley says we need to get our luggage downstairs," she reported to the other two, who were throwing their pajamas into their trunks. Together, they hauled down their trunks one by one. When they were finished, they went back upstairs so Liza and Hermione could grab their cats.

"I think that's everything," Hermione said, glancing around their room.

"We should probably get downstairs then," Ginny said from the doorway. She stepped out onto the landing, adding, "We don't want Mum to get mad."

Suddenly they heard a loud bang, and Ginny let out a screech. Liza and Hermione hurried out of the room and saw Ginny falling backwards down the stairs, having been knocked over by two trunks.

"Ginny!" Liza shouted. She and Hermione hurried after their friend, who bounced down the stairs and landed in the main hallway. The trunks landed dully on the floor on either side of her, and Mrs. Weasley let out a scream, causing the portrait of Mrs. Black to wake up.

"Ah, bullocks," a voice muttered. Liza looked up to see Fred and George slinking down the stairs. They went over to their sister to see if she was all right. Mrs. Weasley also ran over to her daughter, and upon seeing the guilty looks on the twins' faces, began to yell at them.

"—COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS—!" she hollered.

"—FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS—!" Mrs. Black was screaming in the background. Mrs. Weasley began to mend Ginny's injuries while still screaming at the twins. Hermione and Liza watched for a moment before they were distracted by Lupin joining them, carrying Hedwig.

"Hedwig's brought you a letter, Hermione," he said over the yelling.

"Thank you," Hermione replied, taking the letter from Lupin. Hedwig flew over to Hermione's shoulder. "Come on, let's bring her up to Harry," Hermione added to Liza, and the girls went back up the stairs to the room Harry and Ron had been sharing.

"Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back," Hermione said when they entered the room. Hedwig flew over to her cage, hooting at Harry.

"Are you ready yet?" Liza asked.

"Nearly—Ginny all right?" Harry asked, putting his glasses on.

"Mrs. Weasley's patched her up," Hermione replied, nodding.

"But now Moody's complaining that we can't leave unless Sturgis Podmore's here, otherwise the guard will be one short," Liza added.

"Guard?" Harry echoed. "We have to go to King's Cross with a guard?"

"_You_ have to go to King's Cross with a guard," Liza replied.

"Why?" Harry asked impatiently. "I thought Voldemort was supposed to be lying low, or are you telling me he's going to jump out from behind a dustbin to try and do me in?"

"I don't know, it's what Mad-Eye says," Liza replied sharply. Hermione glanced at her watch.

"It we don't leave soon we're definitely going to miss the train…" she moaned.

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley voiced shouted at them. Hermione jumped, turned, and hurried from the room. Liza shrugged and followed her friend.

Everyone was squeezed together on the main floor of the house. Mrs. Black's portrait was still screaming, but nobody stepped forward to try and shut the curtains around her.

"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," Mrs. Weasley announced when Harry and Ron had joined them. "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage… Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!" Liza turned to see that Sirius had transformed into his dog Animagus and was standing next to Harry, his tail thumping against the wall. Harry and Sirius pushed through the crowd to get to the front door, and Sirius bumped Liza's hand with his nose as he passed.

"Oh honestly," Mrs. Weasley sighed, "well, on your own head be it!" She opened the door and ushered Harry and Sirius outside.

"All the trunks are here?" Moody asked, stepping forward. He had a hat pulled down low over his face to cover his magical eye. He took out his wand and waved it, and the trunks in front of him were piled up into a neat stack, with Hedwig's cage on top. Then Moody waved his wand again, and the trunks became invisible. Mr. Weasley opened the front door for Moody, who stepped outside and was gone.

"All right," Mr. Weasley said after a minute. "Girls, you'll be coming with me. Boys, you'll go with Lupin and follow us in a few minutes. Come on, girls." Hermione, Liza, and Ginny hurried to follow Mr. Weasley from the house. It was a fairly pleasant day out, which was a good thing, because it was a twenty-minute walk from the house to King's Cross. They were mostly quiet the entire way to the train station until they reached the barrier to Platform 9 and ¾.

"Hermione, Liza, you two go first," Mr. Weasley directed. Liza looped her arm around Hermione's, and the girls marched forward and through the gate. Mr. Weasley and Ginny followed a second after them, and the four of them looked around for the others.

"There they are!" Ginny said after a few moments, pointing ahead of them. Mr. Weasley, Harry, Moody, and an old woman who had to be Tonks were just beginning to unload the trunks into the train. Mr. Weasley and the girls joined them, and just as they were finishing with the trunks, Lupin, Fred, George, and Ron appeared.

"No trouble?" Moody asked Lupin.

"Nothing," Lupin replied.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," Moody said. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," Lupin said, offering his hand to everyone. Liza was the only one who threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and he chuckled. When he reached Harry, he added, "You too, Harry. Be careful."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," Moody said, shaking Harry's hand as well. "And don't forget, all of you—careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," Tonks said, hugging them all. "We'll see you soon, I expect." A whistle sounded overhead, a warning that the train was about to leave.

"Quick, quick," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging everyone at least once. "Write… Be good… If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on… Onto the train, now, hurry…" Liza squatted down and hugged Sirius briefly.

"Good-bye, Snuffles," she murmured. Sirius let out a bark. Then he turned to Harry and jumped up onto his hind legs, putting his front paws on Harry's shoulders. Mrs. Weasley broke them apart quickly.

"For heaven's sake act more like a dog, Sirius!" she hissed at the dog as Liza and Harry hopped up onto the train.

"See you!" Harry yelled out the window as the train began to pull forward. Liza waved out the window, laughing as Sirius ran along the platform next to the train. After a few seconds, the platform had disappeared.

"He shouldn't have come with us," Hermione said.

"Oh lighten up," Ron said, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."

"Well," Fred piped up, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." He and George started off down the train to find their friends.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked, turning to the others. Liza nodded, but Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

"Er," Ron started, looking embarrassed.

"We're—well—Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said gently. Ron was looking anywhere but at Harry.

"Oh," Harry said. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," Hermione was quick to add. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," Harry said. Liza looked at him curiously.

"Well, we might see you later, then," she said, smiling at Hermione.

"Yeah, definitely," Ron said. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather—but we have to—I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy."

"I know you're not," Harry said. Liza chuckled. Ron and Hermione said good-bye and started down to the front of the train.

"Come on," Ginny spoke up from behind Liza and Harry, "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."

"Right," Harry said. They were about to head off when Liza heard her name being called from behind her. She turned to see her boyfriend John McDevlyn hurrying towards her. When he reached her, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard.

"Oy!" Ginny said loudly. Liza turned, her arms still around John's neck, to see Ginny grinning. "Are you love-birds coming or not?"

"Would you just give me a minute?" Liza shot back, winking.

"C'mon, Harry," Ginny said, and she and Harry started down the train. Liza turned back to John, who immediately kissed her soundly on the lips.

"I missed you," he said. "This summer was awful."

"I missed you, too," Liza said. "Come on, let's catch up with the others so we have somewhere to sit." John agreed, and he helped her carry her trunk down to where Harry and Ginny were.

"Nice to see you again," Ginny teased when they caught up to her and Harry. They all continued down the train until they reached the last compartment, where they found Neville standing.

"Hi, Harry," he said. "Hi, Ginny, Liza, John… Everywhere's full… I can't find a seat—"

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, looking into the last compartment. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here…"

"I-I didn't want to disturb anyone—" Neville muttered, blushing.

"Don't be silly," Ginny said, "she's all right." She opened the compartment door and went inside. The others followed her, looking curiously at the girl who was sitting alone.

"Hi, Luna," Ginny greeted. "Is it okay if we take these seats?" The girl looked around at the others before nodding. "Thanks," Ginny added. They took the next few minutes to store their trunks away. Liza took Boots out of her carrier and let her roam around the compartment. Ginny and Neville sat down on the same side as Luna, while Harry, Liza, and John sat on the opposite side.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Luna replied, watching Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. _You're_ Harry Potter."

"I know I am," Harry replied. Neville, Liza, and John snorted. Luna looked around at them.

"And I don't know who you are," she said.

"I'm nobody," Neville hurried to answered.

"No you're not," Ginny and Liza said at the same time. Ginny continued, "Neville Longbottom—Luna Lovegood. And this is Liza Jones and John McDevlyn. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."

"_Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_," Luna recited. Then she went back to reading her magazine, although she was holding it upside down, so Liza wasn't sure if she was reading it or not.

The train continued on through the country, and there wasn't much talk for a while. Eventually Neville spoke up.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" he asked.

"Another Remembrall?" Harry guessed.

"No," Neville replied, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago… No, look at this—" He put his hand into his backpack and pulled out a small plant. It looked like a very small cactus, except it had boils instead of needles.

"_Mimbulus mimbletonia_," he announced. The others looked warily at it, but Neville seemed rather proud. "It's really, really rare," he explained. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"Isn't your great-uncle Algie the one who accidentally dropped you out of a window when you were a child?" Liza asked.

"What?" John said, bewildered.

"Yes," Neville replied. "He was trying to see if I had any magic in me, and when he dropped me, I bounced all the way down the driveway, but I wasn't hurt." Harry was still looking at the plant.

"Does it—er—do anything?" he asked.

"Loads of stuff!" Neville replied. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism—hold Trevor for me—" He dropped his toad into Harry's lap, who scrambled to grab him. Neville pulled a quill out of his bag, examined his plant for a moment, and then poked it with his quill.

Liquid exploded from the plant, covering the occupants of the compartment in smelly, dark green goo.

"Neville!" Liza shrieked. She, Ginny, and John had managed to cover their faces, but Neville and Harry were soaked from head to toe.

"S-sorry," Neville said. "I haven't tried that before… Didn't realize it would be so…Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous—" Harry spat some of the Stinksap onto the floor. The compartment door opened, and they all turned to see a girl standing in the doorway—Cho Chang, a sixth-year Ravenclaw.

"Oh…hello, Harry," she said. "Um…bad time?" Liza could hardly imagine what the scene looked like from the outside, but she was too distracted by the Stinksap in her hair.

"Oh…hi," Harry said.

"Um…" Cho stammered. "Well…just thought I'd say hello…'bye then." She closed the door and walked away from their compartment. Harry groaned loudly, tipping his head back against the seat.

"Never mind," Ginny said, pulling her wand out. "Look, we can get rid of all this easily. _Scourgify_!" The Stinksap vanished instantly.

"I really wish you'd have thought of that a few minutes ago," Liza muttered, combing her fingers through her hair even though it was clean again.

"Sorry," Neville said quietly. Liza looked over at Harry.

"What was that, by the way?" she asked.

"What?" Harry replied, handing Trevor the toad back to Neville.

"Cho Chang coming over to say hi to you," Liza said. "Since when did Cho Chang come over to say hi to you?" Harry flushed in embarrassment.

"I don't know," he replied. Liza smirked at him but left him alone.

The food trolley came by a little while later, and everyone got some snacks. Ron and Hermione joined them later, as well.

"I'm starving," Ron announced, entering the compartment and flopping onto the seat in between Harry and Liza. He took a Chocolate Frog from Harry, tore it open, and took a large bite out of the chocolate. Hermione sat down next to Neville.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," she reported. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" Ron asked.

"Malfoy," Harry and Liza guessed together.

"'Course," Ron replied. "Dunno how _he_ could have gotten it; John, you should have gotten the prefect job."

"No, thank you," John said, chuckling.

"And that complete _cow_ Pansy Parkinson," Hermione continued scathingly. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll—"

"Wow, Hermione," Liza said, looking at her friend. "Don't keep those feeling bottled up; let it all out."

"Who're Hufflepuff's?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," Ron replied, rolling his eyes.

"Hannah's very nice," Liza said defensively. "And even though Ernie can be a bit irritating, he's a very good student."

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," Hermione finished.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," Luna spoke up from her corner. Everyone looked over at her, and she was watching Ron with interest.

"Yeah, I know I did," Ron replied, sounding confused.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna said. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded, I don't like dancing very much." She went back to looking at her magazine, and Ron looked around at Ginny, who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," Ron informed the others after a moment, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something—"

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" Hermione scolded.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," Ron said.

"So you're going to descend to his level?" Hermione asked.

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mines," Ron retorted. Liza rolled her eyes.

"For Merlin's sake, Ron," she muttered.

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," Ron continued gleefully. Then he mimicked Goyle's voice, saying, "_I…must…not…look…like…a…baboon's…backside…_" Everyone laughed, even Hermione, but the one who laughed the most was Luna. They all looked at her warily, who continued to laugh far longer than the rest of them.

"That was _funny_!" she insisted between gasps for air, her magazine sliding from her knees to the floor of the compartment. Liza, Ginny, John, and Neville laughed at the look of shock on Ron's face.

"Are you taking the mickey?" he asked.

"Baboon's…backside!" Luna repeated, still laughing. Suddenly, Harry reached forward and grabbed Luna's magazine from the floor.

"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked, looking very interested. Luna nodded, still laughing at Ron. Liza watched as Harry looked through the magazine, which Liza could now see was called _The Quibbler_. Harry's almost eager face turned into one of confusion very quickly.

"Anything good in there?" Ron asked when Harry was done looking through it.

"Of course not," Hermione cut in. "_The Quibbler's_ rubbish, everyone knows that."

"Excuse me," Luna said, her voice surprisingly hard. "My father's the editor."

"I—oh," Hermione said, flustered. "Well…it's got some interesting…I mean, it's quite—"

"I'll have it back, thank you," Luna said, ignoring Hermione's stammering and grabbing the magazine back from Harry. She turned it upside down, rifled through a few pages, and then disappeared behind it again. The compartment door opened again, and Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle were there.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you detention," Malfoy said, smirking. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone." The rest of the compartment laughed at this, except Luna.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" Malfoy asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione snapped.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," Malfoy said. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" Liza said sharply, standing up. Malfoy laughed before leaving, Crabbe and Goyle following him, and Liza slammed the door shut. She looked around at Hermione and Harry, who both seemed to be thinking the same thing as she was. Malfoy's 'dogging' commented could only mean that he knew the black dog on the platform had been Sirius.

The rest of the train ride was spent in mostly silence, with sporadic conversations taking place for only a few minutes. It eventually grew dark outside the train, and the lamps were lit.

"We'd better change," Hermione spoke up eventually. They all changed into their uniforms and robes, and Hermione and Ron pinned their prefect badges onto their chests. When the train began to slow down, Hermione added, "Ron and I are supposed to make sure everyone gets off the train. Can you guys look after Crookshanks?"

"Yeah, and Pig?" Ron asked. Then he and Hermione hurried from the compartment to fulfill their prefect duties.

"I'll carry that owl, if you like," Luna offered to Harry.

"Oh—er—thanks," Harry said. Luna took Pig's cage from him, allowing him to better hold onto Hedwig's cage. Liza had Boots, and Ginny had Crookshanks. Those of them who were left slowly made their way off of the train and onto the Hogsmeade platform outside. Students were shuffling along, and Liza was surprised to see Professor Grubbly-Plank standing off to the side and calling first year students to her. Usually it was Hagrid who took the first years across the lake and up to the castle.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked, sounding slightly distressed.

"I don't know," Ginny replied, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door—"

"Oh yeah—" Harry said. They joined the crowd headed toward the carriages that would bring them up to the school.

"John!" a voice called from nearby. Liza and John looked to see John's Slytherin friends Jake, Rhonda, and Mary walking towards them. "Where were you?" Jake asked when they were closer.

"I sat with Liza on the train," John replied. "Why, did something happen?" Jake let out a loud laugh.

"You should have seen Rhonda going after Pansy!" he chuckled.

"I didn't go after her," Rhonda said, shaking her head. "The bitch came into our compartment showing off her prefect badge, calling us Gryffindor-huggers. No offense, Liza, but I'm no Gryffindor-hugger. I mean, I like you just fine, but that doesn't mean I like everyone in y our House."

"I understand completely," Liza said. "I don't even like everyone in my House." She and Rhonda exchanged grins. They reached the carriages, and Rhonda, Jake, and Mary piled into one.

"Are you guys coming?" Mary asked.

"You can go ahead," Liza said when John looked at her. "I'm going to go with the others." She gestured to where Harry and Ron were standing.

"All right," John said. "I'll talk to you later." He kissed her quickly, and his Slytherin friends let out fake moans.

"If anything, _you're_ the Gryffindor-hugger, McDevlyn!" Rhonda said, laughing. John hopped into the carriage with them, and it started down the path to Hogwarts. Liza trotted back over to her other friends, who were just getting into a carriage of their own.

"What's up, Harry?" Liza asked when she saw his face. He looked very confused, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," he mumbled. Liza shrugged and got into the carriage behind him, and they were soon on their way up to the school.

**~LJ:NK~**


	7. Chapter 7 The Feast

_**A/N: Oh hey, look, I finished this chapter already. The entire Sorting Hat's song is in here, which I've never done before, but I feel like this is a very important song so I wanted to include it.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 7 – The Feast**

As soon as the carriage began its journey up to the castle, Ginny spoke up.

"Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?" she asked. "What's she doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?"

"I'll be quite glad if he has," Luna said. "He isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

"Yes, he is!" Harry, Ron, and Ginny retorted. Hermione and Liza remained silent, and Harry glared at them both.

"Erm…yes…" Hermione said. "He's very good." Liza shrugged but still wouldn't answer. As much as she liked Hagrid, she wasn't sure he was the best _teacher_ when it came to Hogwarts professors.

"Well, we think he's a bit of a joke in Ravenclaw," Luna explained.

"You've got a rubbish sense of humor then," Ron replied darkly. There was silence after that, but Luna didn't seem upset at Ron's outburst. On the contrary, she simply watched him with slight interest.

Soon the carriage was coming to a halt, and the five Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw climbed out of it. They started up to the castle, but Ron paused.

"Are you coming or what?" he asked, looking at Harry. Harry was still standing next to the carriage, looking intently at the space in front of the carriage, as though there was something there.

"Oh…yeah," Harry said, shaking his head and following his friends up to the castle. The crowd of students flooded into the castle, through the Entrance Hall, and into the Great Hall, where the start-of-term feast would be held.

Ginny was the only one to say goodbye to Luna as she moved towards the Ravenclaw table; the others simply watched her go. Then Ginny also left them, deciding to sit with some of her fellow fourth-year friends.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza met up with Neville again about halfway down their table. The resident Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick, was also sitting nearby, and Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the other two fifth-year girls. The four sat down and looked up at the staff table at the front of the Hall to see if they could spot Hagrid.

"He's not there," Harry said, sounding disappointed.

"He can't have left," Ron said.

"Of course he hasn't," Liza said, shaking her head.

"You don't think he's…_hurt_, or anything, do you?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry insisted immediately.

"But where is he, then?" Ron asked. Harry leaned forward towards his friends.

"Maybe he's not back yet," he said very quietly. "You know—from his mission—the thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore."

"Yeah, that has to be it," Liza said, nodding. Ron looked comforted by this idea, but Hermione went back to looking at the staff table.

"Who's _that_?" she asked, pointing up at the table. The others looked around to see Dumbledore in his usual seat in the middle of the table, and next to him was a very short woman dressed in all pink who was talking to the headmaster. When she turned her head so they could see her face, Harry let out a gasp.

"It's that Umbridge woman!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"She was at my hearing," Harry explained quickly, "she works for Fudge!"

"Nice cardigan," Ron smirked, and Liza snorted.

"She works for Fudge?" Hermione echoed. "What on earth's she doing here, then?"

"Dunno…" Harry replied. Hermione continued to scan the staff table, thinking hard.

"No," she said, "no, surely not—"

"What?" Liza asked urgently, but at that moment they all saw Professor Grubbly-Plank entering the Hall from a side door and taking Hagrid's usual place at the table. A moment later, the doors of the Hall opened, and Professor McGonagall came marching in, leading the group of first years to the front of the room. The Sorting Hat was placed on its regular stool, and everyone waited for a few moments until the Hat began its song.

_In times of old when I was new  
>And Hogwarts barely started<br>The founders of our noble school  
>Thought never to be parted:<br>United by a common goal,  
>They had the selfsame yearning.<br>"Together we will build and teach!"  
>The four good friends decided<br>And never did they dream that they  
>Might someday be divided.<br>For were there such friends anywhere  
>As Slytherin and Gryffindor?<br>Unless it was the second pair  
>Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?<br>So how could it have gone so wrong?  
>How could such friendships fail?<br>Why, I was there and so can tell  
>The whole sad, sorry tale.<br>Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those  
>Whose ancestry is purest."<br>Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose  
>Intelligence is surest."<br>Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those  
>With brave deeds to their name."<br>Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,  
>And treat them just the same."<br>These differences caused little strife  
>When first they came to light,<br>For each of the four founders had  
>A House in which they might<br>Take only those they wanted, so,  
>For instance, Slytherin<br>Took only pure-blood wizards  
>Of great cunning, just like him,<br>And only those of sharpest mind  
>Were taught by Ravenclaw<br>While the bravest and boldest  
>Went to daring Gryffindor.<br>Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,  
>And taught them all she knew,<br>Thus the Houses and their founders  
>Retained friendships firm and true.<br>So Hogwarts worked in harmony  
>For several happy years,<br>But then discord crept among us  
>Feeding on our faults and fears.<br>The Houses that, like pillars four,  
>Had once held up our school,<br>Now turned upon each other and,  
>Divided, sought to rule.<br>And for a while it seemed the school  
>Must meet an early end,<br>What with dueling and with fighting  
>And the clash of friend on friend<br>And at last there came a morning  
>When old Slytherin departed<br>And though the fighting then died out  
>He left us quite downhearted.<br>And never since the founders four  
>Were whittled down to three<br>Have the Houses been united  
>As they once were meant to be.<br>And now the Sorting Hat is here  
>And you all know the score:<br>I sort you into Houses  
>Because that is what I'm for,<br>But this year I'll go further,  
>Listen closely to my song:<br>Though condemned I am to split you  
>Still I worry that it's wrong,<br>Though I must fulfill my duty  
>And must quarter every year<br>Still I wonder whether sorting  
>May not bring the end I fear.<br>Oh, know the perils, read the signs,  
>The warning history shows,<br>For our Hogwarts is in danger  
>From external, deadly foes<br>And we must unite inside her  
>Or we'll crumble from within.<br>I have told you, I have warned you…  
>Let the Sorting now begin.<em>

When the Hat finished its song, there was the usual applause, although a lot of people leaned into their neighbors to whisper about what exactly the song had said.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" Ron asked.

"Too right it has," Harry agreed.

"But it's right, even if it is just a hat," Liza said. "In dangerous times we need to stick together, not be fighting amongst ourselves—"

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" Hermione said.

"Yes, indeed," Nearly Headless Nick spoke up, leaning through Neville to look at Hermione. "The hat feels itself honor-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels—" He stopped, looking at Professor McGonagall who was surveying the Hall with one of her famous glares. The whispers died away immediate, and Professor McGonagall gave a brief instruction to the first years before consulting her list.

"Abercrombie, Euan," was the first name to be called. The boy stumbled forward, sat on the stool, and pulled the hat onto his head. The hat was silence for a moment before calling out, "_GRYFFINDOR_!" The Gryffindors all cheered for him as he joined their table.

Slowly the first years were all sorted, and finally Professor McGonagall was taking the Sorting Hat away. Professor Dumbledore stood at the front of the Hall.

"To our newcomers, welcome!" he began, smiling down at them all. "To our old hands—welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!" There were shouts and whoops of agreement as Dumbledore sat back down, and the food magically appeared on all the tables.

"Excellent," Ron moaned, piling food onto his plate immediately. The others followed suit.

"What were you saying before about the Sorting?" Hermione asked Nick. "About the hat giving warnings?"

"Oh yes," Nick said. "Yes, I have heard the hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: Stand together, be strong from within."

"Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" Ron said through a mouth full of food.

"Gross, Ron," Liza complained.

"I beg your pardon?" Nick asked him. Ron took a few seconds to swallow what was in his mouth before repeating, "How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a hat?"

"I have no idea," Nick admitted. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the Houses to be friends?" Harry asked, glancing over to where Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table. "Fat chance."

"Well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude," Nick said. "Peaceful cooperation, that's the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate Houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron."

"Only because you're terrified of him," Ron pointed out.

"Terrified?" Nick said indignantly. "I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins—"

"What blood?" Ron asked. "Surely you haven't still got—?"

"It's a figure of speech!" Nick cried. "I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words I like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! But I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!"

"Nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" Hermione tried to assure the ghost. Ron had already shoveled a large amount of food into his mouth again, so all he could say was, "Node iddum eentup eschew." Nick, however, rose into the air and floated away to another part of the table.

"Well done, Ron," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"What?" Ron asked, having swallowed again. "I'm not allowed to ask a simple question?"

"Oh forget it," Hermione said shortly.

"Back to the hat," Liza said. "You know that it's right. We have to stick together. United we're strong; divided we…_suck_."

"I'm not going to try and make friends with Malfoy," Harry insisted.

"Nobody's saying you have to make friends with everyone," Liza said. "Nobody's saying you have to be friends at all. Like Nick said, peaceful cooperation. The Houses need to learn to coexist with one another. Right?" she added sharply, but Harry wasn't looking at her. He grunted in response, concentrating on his food.

The feast finally finished, and the deserts were cleared away. Professor Dumbledore got to his feet, and the school became quiet once again.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore said. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students—and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." Liza exchanged glances with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker," Dumbledore continued, "has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"We have two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleasured to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons." Dumbledore paused as there was polite applause for Professor Grubbly-Plank. "We are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was another round of applause, still polite and unenthusiastic.

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the—" Dumbledore stopped suddenly, looking over his shoulder at where Professor Umbridge was now standing. She let out a "_Hem, hem_," and looked as though she wanted to make a speech of her own. Dumbledore looked startled for only a moment before sitting down and looking attentively at the new professor. There were some mumbles around the Hall.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge said in a high-pitched voice, "for those kind words of welcome." She cleared her throat with a, "_Hem, hem_," before continuing, "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say! And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!" Liza felt her brow furrow in confusion and slight disgust.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Umbridge said.

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Liza heard Parvati say to Lavender, and both girls covered their mouths with their hands, stifling their giggles.

Umbridge cleared her throat once more before continuing, although now she sounded much more businesslike.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance," she said. "The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." Umbridge turned to the professors and bowed to them, but none of them bowed back. They were all watching their new colleague warily.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school," Umbridge went on, "and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…"

_Progress for progress's sake must be discouraged?_ Liza thought, frowning. _Our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering?_ She was having a hard time concentrating on what the new professor was saying, and after a glance around the Hall, she knew that most of the other students weren't paying attention, either. The other professors, however, were listening intently, and Hermione was also taking in everything Umbridge was saying.

"…because some changes will be for the better," Umbridge said as Liza forced herself to pay attention, "while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfect, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." She sat down, and Dumbledore began to clap, alerting the rest of the school that the speech was finished. The students hurried to clap as well, and Dumbledore stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said. "Now—as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," Hermione agreed quietly.

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."

"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," Hermione said. "It explained a lot."

"Did it?" Harry asked. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," Hermione insisted.

"Was there?" Ron asked.

"How about 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'?" Liza pointed out, and Hermione nodded.

"Or 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'," Hermione added.

"Well, what does that mean?" Ron asked.

"I'll tell you what it means," Hermione said grimly. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts." All around them, the students began to rise out of their chairs; Dumbledore must have sent them off to bed.

"Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!" Hermione said, jumping up from the table.

"Oh, yeah," Ron replied. "Hey—hey you lot! Midgets!"

"_Ron_!" Hermione gasped.

"Well, they were, they're titchy—" Ron said.

"I know, but you can't call them midgets," Hermione scolded. "First years!" she called, walking along the table. "This way, please!" The first years slowly gathered around Hermione, looking nervous. One boy looked at Harry then quickly grabbed the arm of the boy next to him and whispered something in his ear. Both boys looked at Harry apprehensively, and Liza took this as her cue to lead Harry away.

"See you later," she said loudly to Ron and Hermione before grabbing Harry's arm and steering him away. All around them, people were pointing at Harry and whispering.

"This way," Harry muttered to Liza, and they took a couple of shortcuts to get away from the crowds.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Liza said when they were alone in a corridor.

"I shouldn't be surprised by them," Harry said in a hard voice. "I mean, the _Prophet_ has been calling me a nutter all summer, hasn't it?"

"If you want to put it bluntly, yes, it has," Liza said. After a few minutes of silence, she added, "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that Fudge sent someone from his office to teach."

"How do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I mean, it's like what the Order was saying on the night you came to Grimmauld Place," Liza said quietly. "Fudge thinks that Dumbledore is trying to take his job. Fudge needs somebody on the inside to let him know what's happening at Hogwarts, and the professors here are too loyal to Dumbledore, that much is obvious."

"I don't understand why the Ministry thinks that I would lie about this," Harry said angrily. "Do they think I'm trying to help Dumbledore become Minister?"

"Maybe," Liza said. "I don't know, Harry. But what I _do_ know is that you need to keep your temper in check." Harry looked at her in bewilderment. "Oh, don't look at me that way," she scolded him. "The way you screamed at us that night at Snuffles's house? You've been losing your temper a lot lately, and that will only get you into more trouble if there's someone from the Ministry working here now. So promise me you'll try and keep your cool."

"I promise," Harry muttered, and Liza stepped in front of him to stop him. He had grown a bit over the summer; Harry and Liza had been roughly the same height for the past few years, but now he had a few inches on her.

"Look me in the eye and promise me that you'll try to control your temper," she said. Harry finally looked at her.

"I promise that I'll try," he said. Liza sighed.

"I suppose that will have to be good enough for now," she said. "C'mon, we're nearly to the common room. Do you know the password?" They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, and Harry looked at Liza blankly.

"No," he replied. "I forgot to ask about it before we left." The two looked at the Fat Lady.

"No password, no entrance," she insisted.

"Harry, Liza!" a voice said from behind them. "I know it!" Harry and Liza turned to see Neville hurrying towards them. "Guess what it is? I'm actually going to be able to remember it for once." He had his little plant in his hand, and he waved it in the air. "_Mimbulus mimbletonia_!"

"Correct," the Fat Lady said, and her portrait swung open to reveal the round entrance to the common room. Harry, Liza, and Neville all climbed through. The room wasn't very full, as Liza assumed most of their classmates had gone up to bed. Harry said good night to Liza and continued towards the boys' staircase, and Neville followed him. Liza looked around the common room, spotting Fred and George pinning something to the notice board. She went over to them.

"What's this, then?" she asked, looking at it.

"We're looking for some test subjects," Fred replied ominously. When Liza frowned at him, he chuckled. "We're going to pay a few people to test some of our sweets. There isn't anything dangerous about them, we just need to see if they work the way they're supposed to."

"Word of advice," Liza said, looking between the twins. "_Don't_ let Hermione see any of this. Not only is she a stickler for the rules, but she will not hesitate to write to your parents." Fred and George exchanged uneasy glances.

"You don't think she'll read the notice board right away, do you?" George asked.

"Probably not," Liza admitted, "but still. Be careful."

"Will do, sister," Fred said. "I think it'll be okay. I'm going to head up to bed. George, you coming?"

"Right behind you," George said. "Good night, little E," he added, hugging Liza quickly. Fred hugged her as well, and the boys went up the stairs to their dormitory. Liza was just about to head up the girls' staircase when the portrait hole opened, and Hermione and Ron led the first years inside.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor common room," Hermione said to the first years. "The boys' dormitories are through the door on the left and up the stairs, and the girls' dormitories are through the door on the right. Your belongings will already be in your rooms. Your dormitory will have a sign on it that says 'First Years'. I suggest you all head up to bed, the first day of school begins tomorrow." The first years dispersed, and Liza joined Hermione and Ron.

"Thank you for all your help, Ron," Hermione said sarcastically to Ron.

"I don't think that showing the first years to the dormitories is a two-person job," Ron replied. "When we were first years, Percy was the only one who showed us anywhere."

"You need to take this job more seriously," Hermione insisted. "Now, I think I'm going to go up to bed. Liza?"

"Lead the way," Liza said. "Good night, Ron." Ron said good night as well, and he left for the boys' dormitory.

Hermione and Liza climbed the girls' staircase all the way to the top, where their dormitory was. When they entered the room, they found Parvati and Lavender already getting ready for bed.

"So how was the first day of prefect duty?" Liza asked Hermione as they changed out of their uniforms.

"Oh, it's been fine," Hermione replied. "I just wish that Ron was a bit more enthusiastic."

"Good luck with that one," Liza chuckled. "He didn't want to be a prefect, he's said so himself multiple times. I wonder why they chose him? I mean, Ginny's right, they probably should have picked Dean."

"Maybe," Hermione agreed. They finished getting ready for bed and climbed into their four-posters.

"Oh, I missed this bed so much," Liza moaned happily. Boots hopped up onto the bed next to her, curling into a ball at her hip. Liza let out a yawn.

"Good night, Liza," Hermione chuckled.

"Good night Hermione," Liza replied. Then she snuggled into her bed and quickly fell asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**


	8. Chapter 8 A Rocky First Day

_**A/N: Wow, okay, this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. I hope you like it!**_

_**Edit: I had to reupload this chapter because I realized that I had put Hermione in Muggle Studies, which doesn't make sense since Hermione had dropped the class after her third year! Oops.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 8 – A Rocky First Day**

The next morning, Liza and Hermione woke up and got dressed. Lavender and Parvati were also getting ready for the first day of school, whispering quietly to each other.

"So how were your summers?" Liza asked them, interested in what they were whispering about.

"Fine," Parvati was quick to answer. "Same old same old. How about you?"

"I'm sure they were hanging around with Harry, coming up with more stories to tell us about You-Know-Who," Lavender said bitterly. Hermione and Liza exchanged a surprised glance.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked.

"You heard me," Lavender sneered.

"Why would you say something like that?" Liza asked angrily.

"The _Prophet_ has been very clear that You-Know-Who has _not_ returned," Lavender stated matter-of-factly, "that Harry is a liar, and that Dumbledore is losing his touch." Liza opened her mouth to answer her, but Hermione beat her to it.

"Harry is _not_ a liar, and Dumbledore is _not_ losing his touch!" Hermione exclaimed. "You just keep your big fat mouth shut on things that you know nothing about!" With that, Hermione swept from the room, and Liza lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

"You know, I was just going to call you a stupid bitch, but I think it hits much harder coming from Hermione," she said, smirking. "Have a lovely day." Then she, too, left the room, finding Hermione waiting just outside.

"I can't believe her," Hermione seethed.

"I don't know why you're surprised," Liza said as they started down to the common room. "This was bound to happen. There are lots of people who take the _Prophet_ and the Ministry seriously." Hermione nodded, taking a few deep breaths.

"I shouldn't have said that to her, though," she said after a few moments. "I'm a prefect, I need to be better than that."

"Don't worry about it," Liza said soothingly. They had reached the common room, and there was no sign of Harry and Ron. "I don't know why Lavender thought that she would get away with saying something like that," she added. "I mean, I was just as surprised as her when you told her to shut up, but she knows that I would have never let her get away with saying something like that. I'm proud of you, 'Mione." Hermione smiled, her cheeks tinged pink.

Harry and Ron joined them a few minutes later, and Harry looked upset.

"What's the matter?" Liza asked immediately. "You look absolutely—"

"Oh for heaven's sake," Hermione interrupted exasperatedly. She was looking at the notice board, seeing Fred and George's sign for the first time. "They are the limit," she scowled, walking over to the board and taking the sign down. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

"Why?" Ron asked, bewildered. The four of them headed out of the common room.

"Because we're prefects!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!" Ron didn't answer her.

"Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Liza asked, turning back to her brother. "You look really angry about something. Out with it." Harry didn't say anything.

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," Ron finally said for him.

"Yes, Lavender thinks so too," Hermione said, frowning.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry asked sharply.

"No," Hermione replied, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually." Harry and Ron stared at her in amazement.

"I was surprised, as well," Liza said, amused at their expressions. "You should have seen the look on Lavender's face when she said it. Oh, and Harry?" She glared over at Harry. "It would be nice if you stopped jumping down our throats because, if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

"Sorry," Harry mumbled after a pause.

"That's quite all right," Hermione said briskly, nodding. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?" Harry and Ron both shook their heads, and Hermione continued, "About You-Know-Who. He said, '_His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust_…'"

"How do you remember stuff like that?" Ron asked.

"I listen, Ron," Hermione replied. Liza laughed.

"So do I," Ron insisted, "but I still couldn't tell you exactly what—"

"The point," Hermione interrupted, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same—stand together, be united—"

"And Harry said it last night," Ron said, "if that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"And I told him, that's not what Dumbledore or the hat, or Nick for that matter, was saying," Liza cut in. "We don't have to be friends with the Slytherins, we just need to be willing to work together."

"I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter-House unity," Hermione added. They had reached the Entrance Hall, where they met a group of fourth-year Ravenclaws. The Ravenclaws nervously huddled closer together and hurried away from Harry and his friends.

"Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like that," Harry said sarcastically.

"Harry, sooner or later people will realize you've been telling the truth," Liza said gently. The four Gryffindors entered the Great Hall and looked up at the staff table. Hagrid was still not there, and Professor Grubbly-Plank was sitting in his usual spot.

"Dumbledore didn't even mention how long that Grubbly-Plank woman's staying," Harry said as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe…" Hermione trailed off, looking up at the staff table thoughtfully.

"What?" the other three asked.

"Well…maybe he didn't want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here," Hermione guessed, shrugging.

"What d'you mean, draw attention to it?" Ron chuckled. "How could we not notice?" Before any of the others could say anything, a tall seventh-year Gryffindor girl came marching up to them. It was Angelina Johnson, one of the Chasers on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Hi, Angelina," Harry greeted her.

"Hi," she said, "good summer?" Harry opened his mouth to answer, but she continued on, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"Nice one," Harry said, smiling.

"Yeah, well, we need a new Keeper now Oliver's left," she said. "Tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock and I want the whole team there, all right? Then we can see how the new person'll fit in."

"Okay," Harry agreed, and Angelina gave him a quick smile before leaving to rejoin her friends.

"I'd forgotten Wood had left," Hermione said. "I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?"

"I s'pose," Harry said. "He was a good Keeper…"

"Still, it won't hurt to have some new blood, will it?" Ron asked. Then hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, bringing in the morning mail. An owl swooped down on Hermione, carrying a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"What are you still getting that for?" Harry asked, his voice annoyed. "I'm not bothering…load of rubbish." Hermione dropped a Knut in the pouch attached to the owl's leg, and the owl took off again.

"It's best to know what the enemy are saying," Hermione pointed out. Then she shook the paper out and began to read. There was silence as Hermione read and Harry, Ron, and Liza ate their breakfast.

"Nothing," Hermione finally stated, folding the newspaper back up. "Nothing about you or Dumbledore or anything." Professor McGonagall reached them then, handing out their course schedules.

"Look at today!" Ron complained as he looked over his schedule. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts… Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted—"

"Do mine ears deceive me?" Fred asked, arriving at the table with George. Fred plopped down onto the bench next to Harry, and George sat next to Liza. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"Look what we've got today," Ron insisted, sliding his schedule across the table so his brother could see it. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," Fred said. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like."

"Why's it cheap?" Liza asked, grinning slyly at the twins.

"Because you'll keep bleeding till you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet," George replied, piling some breakfast onto his plate.

"Cheers," Ron muttered, "but I think I'll take the lessons." He took his schedule back and shoved it into his bag.

"And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," Hermione began, looking between the twins, "you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board."

"I told you so," Liza said, smirking.

"Who says we can't advertise?" George asked after briefly sticking his tongue out at Liza.

"Says me," Hermione said. "And Ron."

"Leave me out of it," Ron said immediately. Hermione gave him an exasperated look, and Fred and George let out snickers.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," Fred said. "You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snackbox before long."

"Why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?" Hermione asked.

"Fifth year's O.W.L. year," George replied.

"So?" Hermione asked.

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you?" Fred said. "They'll be keeping your noses so hard to the grindstone they'll be rubbed raw." Harry and Liza exchanged disgusted looks.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," George reported. "Tears and tantrums…Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint…"

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" Fred asked.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pajamas," George reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Fred said, smiling. "I'd forgotten… Hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?"

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," George said. "If you care about exam results anyway."

"Hermione will be fine," Liza said. "She's the top of our class. She'll get the top marks in all her exams." Hermione smiled, blushing.

"Well, Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow," George said.

"Yeah…you got, what was it, three O.W.L.s each?" Ron asked.

"Yep," Fred replied cheerfully. "But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," George added, "now that we've got…" He trailed off, looking at Harry, and then hurriedly continued, "—now that we've got our O.W.L.s. I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat."

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though," Fred said. "We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from his joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demand."

"But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" Hermione asked. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials—and premises, too, I suppose—" Suddenly there was a clatter, and Harry went diving under the table for something.

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione," Fred said. "C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology." He and his twin brother picked up a few slices of toast and left the table. Harry sat back up straight, and Liza looked at him questioningly. He held up his fork.

"What did that mean?" Hermione asked. "'Ask us no questions…' Does that mean they've already got some gold to start a joke shop?"

"You know, I've been wondering about that," Ron said. "They bought me a new set of dress robes this summer, and I couldn't understand where they got the Galleons—"

"D'you reckon it's true this year's going to be really tough?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "Because of the exams?"

"Oh yeah," Ron said. "Bound to be, isn't it? O.W.L.s are really important, affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. We get career advice too, later this year, Bill told me. So you can choose what N.E.W.T.s you want to do next year." The four fifth-years finished up their breakfast and stood up to leave for their first class.

"D'you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked as they exited the Great Hall.

"Not really," Ron replied. "Except…well—"

"What?" Harry asked as Ron looked a bit embarrassed.

"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror," Ron said.

"Yeah, it would," Harry agreed.

"But they're, like, the elite," Ron added. "You've got to be really good. What about you, Liza?"

"I mean, I guess it'd be cool," Liza said. "I dunno, I kind of want to help improve relations with wizards and the Muggle world… How about you, Hermione?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "I think I'd really like to do something worthwhile."

"An Auror's worthwhile!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes, it is, but it's not the only worthwhile thing," Hermione said. "I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further…" Liza glanced at Harry and Ron, who were very purposefully looking away from one another.

The Gryffindors' first class of the day was History of Magic, which was known for being very boring. It was taught by Professor Binns, the only ghost professor in the school. Hermione was the only one who was able to pay attention for the entire class period. Liza tried her best to pay attention, as well, but it was very difficult. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, played hangman on a piece of parchment instead of taking notes.

"How would it be if I refused to lend you my notes this year?" Hermione asked the boys bitterly at the end of class.

"We'd fail our O.W.L.s," Ron replied promptly. "If you want that on your conscience, Hermione—"

"Well, you'd deserve it," Hermione said indignantly. "You don't even try to listen to him, do you?"

"We do try," Ron insisted. "We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration—you're just cleverer than we are—is it nice to rub it in?"

"Oh, don't give me that rubbish," Hermione said.

"Look at it this way, though," Liza said. "It's not like either of you will be taking History of Magic after O.W.L.s, so does it really matter if you pass it?" Hermione gave Liza a reproachful look, but Ron smirked. They continued on, and after turning one corner, they came face to face with Cho Chang.

"Hello, Harry!" she said warmly to Harry.

"Hi," Harry said, looking flustered.

"You got that stuff off, then?" Cho asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "So did you…er…have a good summer?" Liza had to stop herself from rolling her eyes; Cho had been dating Cedric Diggory at the end of the previous year, so Liza was sure it hadn't been an easy summer for her.

"Oh, it was all right, you know—" Cho said vaguely.

"Is that a Tornados badge?" Ron asked abruptly, pointing at a badge pinned to Cho's robes. "You don't support them, do you?"

"Yeah, I do," Cho replied.

"Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?" Ron questioned harshly.

"I've support them since I was six," Cho answered, looking away from Ron. "Anyway…see you, Harry." She continued on in the opposite direction, and Liza glared at Ron.

"You are such a toad, Ron!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Ron asked defensively. "I only asked her if—"

"Couldn't you tell she wanted to talk to Harry on her own?" Hermione demanded.

"So? She could've done, I wasn't stopping—" Ron said.

"What on earth were you attacking her about her Quidditch team for?" Liza asked.

"Attacking?" Ron repeated. "I wasn't attacking her, I was only—"

"Who _cares_ if she supports the Tornados?" Hermione said.

"Oh, come on," Ron scoffed, "half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season—"

"But what does it _matter_?" Hermione pressed.

"It means they're not real fans," Ron explained, "they're just jumping on the bandwagon—"

"That's the bell," Harry announced dully. Liza frowned as Ron and Hermione continued to bicker. Soon they came to the Potions room in the dungeons, and Liza was reunited with John.

"Hi," he said, grinning at her.

"Hello," she said heavily, glancing at Ron and Hermione who were now avoiding each other.

"What happened?" John asked.

"Well, we passed Cho Chang in the hall, and she clearly wanted to have a chat with Harry," Liza explained. "But then Ron noticed that she was wearing a Tornados badge, and he butted in and basically accused her of being a bandwagon fan and scared her off. He was arguing with Hermione all the way down here."

"Looks like some things haven't changed," John said. They waited for a few more minutes before Snape opened the door to the classroom and let them all in. Liza and John sat at their usual table.

"Settle down," Snape said as he shut the door. Silence fell over the dungeon as Snape moved to the front of the room.

"Before we begin today's lesson," he began in his quiet voice, "I think it's appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my…displeasure." He paused looking around at some of the Gryffindor students.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," he continued. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye. But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell, so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level," Snape continued. "The Draught of Living Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing. The ingredients and method are on the blackboard." Snape waved his wand at the board and words appeared on it. "You will find everything you need in the store cupboard." He waved his wand once more and the cupboard at the back of the room opened. "You have an hour and a half... Start."

It was a fairly difficult potion, and Liza was constantly looking at the instructions to make sure she was doing everything right. John seemed to be a little less troubled about his potion.

"A light silver vapor should now be rising from your potion," Snape called when there was ten minutes left of class. Liza frowned at the vapor rising from her potion.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"Do you think these vapors look silver enough?" Liza asked. "I think they look a bit darker than yours do."

"Liza, you did a good job," John said, chuckling. His cauldron was definitely giving off silver vapors. Liza squinted her eyes at hers again.

"I don't know," she said. "I think they're more of a dark gray than a silver." John took her hand in his and squeezed lightly. Snape walked by their table, glancing into their cauldrons but not making any comments on their potions.

"There are no displays of affection allowed in my classroom," he sneered at them quietly, and John and Liza hastily dropped hands. Then he headed towards the back row, where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting.

"Potter, what is this supposed to be?" Snape asked, and Liza quickly turned around to see him standing over Harry's cauldron.

"The Draught of Peace," Harry replied.

"Tell me, Potter, can you read?" Snape asked. Liza heard Malfoy laugh aloud.

"Yes, I can," Harry replied hotly.

"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter," Snape demanded.

"'Add powdered moonstone,'" Harry read, "'stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.'"

"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?" Snape asked. Harry mumbled something, and Snape added, "I beg your pardon?"

"No," Harry said. "I forgot the hellebore—"

"I know you did, Potter," Snape said, "which means that this mess is utterly worthless. _Evanesco_." He waved his wand, and Harry's potion disappeared.

"Those of you who _have_ managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing," Snape instructed. "Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday." Liza turned back to her cauldron and prepared her sample.

"That wasn't fair," she said in a low voice. "There were plenty of other potions in this room that looked as though people missed steps." John just shrugged, and the two of them joined the line to turn in their samples. The bell rang as they finished cleaning up, and Liza and John joined Hermione and Ron to go up to the Great Hall. Harry was nowhere to be found.

When they reached the Great Hall, John parted ways with them to join his Slytherin friends, and Liza, Hermione, and Ron went over to the Gryffindor table, where they found Harry already eating.

"That was really unfair," Hermione said as soon as the other three had sat down. "Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's, when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."

"Yeah, well, since when has Snape ever been fair to me?" Harry asked bitterly.

"I did think he might be a bit better this year," Hermione said. "I mean…you know…" She quickly glanced around for eaves-droppers before saying, "Now he's in the Order and everything."

"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," Ron said. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape, where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"

"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," Hermione said, frowning at him.

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," Harry said. Hermione and Ron looked at him speechlessly. "Can't you give it a rest?" he asked. "You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad." He stood up and left.

"I'm on it," Liza said, quickly standing up as well and hurrying after her brother.

"Harry!" she shouted after him as she climbed the marble staircase after him. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her. "What the hell was that?" she asked when she caught up to him. They continued to walk through the castle, heading upwards.

"I'm just sick of the pair of them arguing all the time," Harry muttered.

"Hermione and Ron have always argued like this, and you've never had a problem with it before," Liza said. Harry shrugged. "Harry, you really need to learn to control your temper," Liza added.

"I can control my temper," Harry replied hotly. Liza raised her eyebrows.

"We get it, Harry," Liza said. "Ron, Hermione, and I are on your side. We know that being stuck at Privet Drive for half of the summer sucked. We know that people you called your friends now don't believe you about what happened last year. We know that Snape was being unfair to you in Potions class today."

"You say you get it, but you're wrong," Harry said quietly. "I know you mean well, but none of you really knows what I've been going through, ever since I was a year old—"

"I lost my parents, too!" Liza said sharply. She carefully avoided looking at Harry, worried that she would spill her secret if she worked herself up too much.

"You still had a better upbringing than I did," Harry replied.

"Maybe I did, and as much as I love Dan and Sue, they aren't my real parents," Liza replied. "Just like you, I will never be able to see my parents again. And just like yours, their death was You-Know-Who's doing. So please don't act like I don't understand at least that part." There was silence for a moment.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled.

"Just please work on controlling your temper," Liza said. "We're on your side, we promise." They walked down a corridor in silence before Liza asked, "You're going to Divination, right?"

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"Well, I suppose I'll let you go on by yourself, then," Liza said. "I've got Arithmancy, and it's back down that hall." She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "I'll see you in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Okay," Harry agreed, and he set off on his own.

**~LJ:NK~**

Liza was somewhat regretting her decision to chase after Harry. She had barely eaten anything in the Great Hall and now her stomach was growling loudly. After waiting for about twenty minutes outside of the Arithmancy classroom, Hermione joined her, holding a napkin with a couple bread rolls in it.

"Here you are," she said, smiling. Liza gratefully took the rolls from Hermione and began eating them.

"Thank you so much, 'Mione," she said in between swallows.

"It's no problem," Hermione replied. "I know you didn't really get a chance to eat when you went after Harry. What did you say to him?"

"I mostly just reminded him to mind his temper, and that we are on his side," Liza answered, finishing the first roll and beginning the second one.

"Yes, I told Ron to tell Harry something similar," Hermione sighed.

"There's something different about him this year," Liza said, frowning. "He's never been this…_angry_ all the time." Before Hermione could say anything back, Professor Vector, the Arithmancy professor, had returned and opened the classroom door for them.

Liza and Hermione took seats at the front of the class. Liza always enjoyed this class, and Professor Vector was one of her favorite professors.

At the end of the class, Professor Vector set them their homework, and Hermione and Liza left for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"So how do you think this class will go?" Liza asked. "Defense Against the Dark Arts used to be one of my favorites; do you think this Umbridge woman is going to ruin it?"

"Maybe," Hermione said. "I don't really know what to expect."

"She probably won't last the year," Liza said grimly. "None of our professors for this class has lasted longer than a year." When they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, they entered and sat down at a desk together.

When the whole class had entered and sat, Umbridge spoke up from her spot behind her desk.

"Well, good afternoon!" she announced. A few people replied, "Good afternoon," but most of the class remained quiet.

"Tut, tut," Umbridge said. "_That_ won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class chorused.

"There, now," Umbridge said, smiling. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please." The class did as they were told. Umbridge, meanwhile, tapped the blackboard with her wand and words appeared.

_Defense Against the Dark Arts  
>A Return to Basic Principles<em>

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Umbridge asked. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year. You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please." She tapped her wand on the board once more, and new words appeared.

_Course aims:  
>1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.<br>2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.  
>3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.<em>

Liza copied down the course aims, frowning at them suspiciously.

"Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?" Umbridge asked when everyone was finished copying. There were murmurs of confirmation throughout the class, and Umbridge said, "I think we'll try that again. When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," the class said together.

"Good," Umbridge said, beaming. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk." Liza turned to page five and glanced at the first chapter, which seemed very dull. She looked over at Hermione, who hadn't touched her textbook, and was surprised to see that Hermione was sitting with her hand held in the air. Over the next few minutes, other people glanced up and noticed that she was not reading and was obviously trying to get Umbridge's attention.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" Umbridge finally asked.

"Not about the chapter, no," Hermione replied.

"Well, we're reading just now," Umbridge said, speaking as though she were talking to a small child. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione said.

"And your name is—?" Umbridge asked.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered promptly.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," Umbridge said.

"Well, I don't," Hermione insisted. Liza felt her eyebrows raising in surprise and amusement. "There's nothing written up there about _using_ defensive spells."

"_Using_ defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge echoed with a chuckle. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to _use_ a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr.—?" Umbridge said.

"Weasley," Ron replied, throwing his hand in the air. Umbridge looked back at Hermione, who had her hand raised again. Harry and Liza rose theirs as well.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked. "You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked.

"No, but—"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is," Umbridge interrupted. "Wizards much older and cleverer than you," Liza snorted softly, "have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way—"

"What use is that?" Harry asked. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a—"

"_Hand_, My. Potter!" Umbridge said, cutting him off, and Harry put his hand up but Umbridge turned away from him. Others now put their hands up, as well.

"And your name is?" Umbridge asked Dean.

"Dean Thomas," he answered.

"Well, Mr. Thomas?" Umbridge prompted.

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" Dean asked. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free."

"I repeated, do you expect to be attacked during my classes?" Umbridge asked.

"No, but—"

"I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school," Umbridge went on, talking over Dean, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed—not to mention extremely dangerous half-breeds."

"If you mean Professor Lupin, he was the best we ever had!" Liza snarled angrily. Umbridge turned to her with a sickly sweet smile.

"And you are—?" she asked.

"Liza Jones," Liza replied. "Professor Lupin was the best we had, it doesn't matter that he is a—"

"As I was saying," Umbridge interrupted, silencing Liza, "you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day—"

"No we haven't," Hermione piped up, "we just—"

"_Your hand is not up, Miss Granger_!" Umbridge said, and Hermione put her hand up. "It is my understanding," Umbridge continued, ignoring her, "that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them _on_ you—"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" Dean pointed out. "Mind you, we still learned loads—"

"_Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas_!" Umbridge said. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she asked, looking at Parvati, whose hand was now in the air.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.?" Parvati asked. "Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," Umbridge replied.

"Without ever practicing them before?" Parvati asked. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough—" Umbridge said.

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" Harry spoke up.

"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," Umbridge explained.

"But school is supposed to prepare us for the real world!" Liza insisted.

"_Your hand is not up, Miss Jones_," Umbridge said.

"We're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?" Harry asked.

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said, shaking her head.

"Oh yeah?" Harry replied.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" Umbridge asked.

"Hmm, let's think…" Harry said mockingly, "maybe _Lord Voldemort_?" There were several flinches and gasps at the use of the name, and a lot of the students avoided looking in Harry's direction.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. The rest of the class went silent, and she continued, "Now, let me make a few things quite plain." She stood up behind her desk and leaned forward.

"You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead," Umbridge began.

"He wasn't dead, but yeah, he's returned!" Harry interrupted.

"Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," Umbridge said in one breath. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_."

"It is NOT a lie!" Harry shouted. "I saw him, I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge exclaimed. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, _this is a lie_. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means comes and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continued your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.'" Umbridge returned to her seat, but Harry stood up.

"Harry," Liza hissed at him, and Hermione tugged at the sleeve of his robes, but he ignored them.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked. The whole class turned their attention to him, for Harry had never talked about what happened the night Cedric died to anyone other than Hermione, Ron, and Liza.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," Umbridge replied.

"It was murder," Harry said. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it."

"Come here, Mr. Potter, dear," Umbridge said after a beat of silence. Harry marched up to the front of the room, where he stood for a few moments while Umbridge wrote something down. "Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," Umbridge finally said, handing Harry the bit of parchment she had written on.

Harry took the paper, turned on his heel, and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Return to your reading, please," Umbridge said to the rest of the class. The rest of the class was very tense, and when the bell finally rang, they were all very happy to be leaving the room. Hermione, Ron, and Liza let the rest of the class hurry ahead of them.

"I can't believe it," Hermione said in a low voice. "She's not going to let us use magic. Why? Why wouldn't she let us use magic?"

"Maybe she thinks Dumbledore's going to use the students as an army to overthrow the Ministry," Ron guessed, smirking humorlessly.

"The Ministry has gone too far, there is no way they should expect us to do a practical exam when we've never practiced using the spells," Liza said.

"I wish Harry would work on holding his temper," Hermione added.

"That Umbridge woman deserved it," Ron said angrily.

"I know she does," Hermione said. "But she works for the Ministry, and she probably reports everything straight to Fudge. If Harry can't learn to control his anger, there are just going to be more stories about him in the _Prophet,_ and it'll be even harder to convince people he's telling the truth."

"I wonder how fast the news of Harry's little outburst will spread," Liza said.

"How do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"I like most of our classmates, don't get me wrong," Liza explained, "but there is no way that they won't be spreading this story like fire at dinner tonight. This is juicy gossip."

"This has been a horrible Monday," Ron whined as they reached the Entrance Hall. "C'mon, I'm starving."

"You're always starving, Ron," Liza joked, smiling at her friend, and the three of them entered the Great Hall for dinner.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: I apologize for the lack of updates. I know that I turned out the third and fourth stories pretty quickly, but I've been having some writer's block with this one, which really bums me out because I was really looking forward to this one. Oh well.**_


	9. Chapter 9 Headaches

_**A/N: I know, I'm not doing very well about uploading very often, but I've been having a bit of writer's block about this story, so thank you to anyone who's willing to hang in there with me.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 9 – Headaches**

Liza had been correct in assuming that the news of Harry's outburst would spread the school like wildfire. As Hermione, Ron, and Liza walked down the Great Hall to the Gryffindor table, they could hear the whispers passing the story around.

A few minutes after they sat down, Harry joined them, taking a place beside Hermione. They began to eat in silence, listening to the murmurs around them. Harry sat very rigidly on the bench.

"He says he saw Cedric Diggory murdered—"

"He reckons he dueled with You-Know-Who—"

"Come off it—"

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Pur-_lease_—"

"What I don't get," Harry said when they were nearly done with dinner, dropping his knife and fork to the table, "is why they all believed the story two months ago when Dumbledore told them—"

"The thing is, Harry, I'm not sure they did," Hermione said. "Oh, let's get out of here." She also put her knife and fork down. Ron and Liza followed suit, although Ron looked disheartened. The four of them stood and left the Great Hall, they eyes of nearly the entire student body following them out.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Dumbledore?" Harry asked as they climbed the marble staircase.

"Look, you don't understand what it was like after it happened," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded.

"You arrived back in the middle of the lawn clutching Cedric's dead body…" Liza continued. "None of us saw what happened in the maze..."

"We just had Dumbledore's word for it that You-Know-Who had come back and killed Cedric and fought you," Hermione finished.

"Which is the truth!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know it is, Harry, so will you _please_ stop biting my head off?" Hermione sighed. "It's just that before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you're a nutcase and Dumbledore's going senile!"

A few minutes later, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and Hermione gave the password. They climbed into a fairly empty common room since most people were still at dinner. The four fifth-years took a seat in front of the fire. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"_How_ can Dumbledore have let this happen?" Hermione exclaimed, and Harry, Ron, and Liza jumped at her sudden anger. Hermione slammed her fists onto the arms of her chair and cried, "How can he let that terrible woman teach us? And in our O.W.L. year too!"

"Well, we've never had great Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?" Harry asked.

"Lupin was pretty good," Liza argued.

"But you know what it's like, Hagrid told us," Harry continued, "nobody wants the job, they say it's jinxed."

"And she's trying to get people to spy for her," Ron said. "Remember when she said she wanted us to come and tell her if we hear anyone saying You-Know-Who's back?"

"Of course she's here to spy on us all, that's obvious, why else would Fudge have wanted her to come?" Hermione said.

"Don't start arguing again," Liza said swiftly as Ron opened his mouth. She didn't want Harry to get angry again.

"Let's just do that homework, get it out of the way," Harry suggested, giving Liza a grateful glance. So they collected their homework and returned to their seats in front of the fire.

"Shall we do Snape's stuff first?" Ron suggested. He dipped his quill in his ink and began to write on a piece of parchment. "'_The properties…of moonstone…and its uses…in potion-making_…'" Then he looked at Hermione and asked, "So what are the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making?"

Hermione, however, was looking across the common room. Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan were sitting in a corner, surrounded by what seemed to be a group of first-years. The first-years were all chewing something.

"No, I'm sorry, they've gone too far," Hermione said, getting to her feet. "Come on, Ron."

"I—what?" Ron asked, looking horrified. "No—come on, Hermione—we can't tell them off for giving out sweets—"

"You know perfectly well that those are bits of Nosebleed Nougat," Hermione snapped, "or—or Puking Pastilles or—" Suddenly, each of the first-years slumped back into their chairs, as though they had fallen asleep.

"Fainting Fancies?" Liza said. There were other students who were watching the twins and Lee, and they were laughing. Fred and George, each holding a clipboard, were examining the first years closely. Hermione stomped over to them, and Ron stood up as though he was going to follow. He hesitated.

"She's got it under control," he muttered before dropping back into his seat.

"That's enough!" Hermione said as she neared the twins, who looked up at her. "I told you this morning, you can't test your rubbish on students!"

"We're paying them!" Fred said.

"I don't care, it could be dangerous!" Hermione said.

"Rubbish," Fred scoffed.

"Calm down, Hermione, they're fine," Lee cut in. He was sticking a purple-colored sweet into the mouths of the first-years.

"Yeah, look, they're coming round now," George said, nodding satisfactorily. The first-years were beginning to stir, many of them looking stunned about what had just happened.

"Feel all right?" George asked one of the girls.

"I-I think so," the girl replied.

"Excellent," Fred said, but Hermione swiftly grabbed the clipboard and the bag of sweets from his hands.

"It is NOT excellent!" she cried.

"'Course it is, they're alive, aren't they?" Fred insisted, sounding annoyed.

"You can't do this," Hermione said, "what if you made one of them really ill?"

"We're not going to make them ill, we've already tested them all on ourselves," Fred explained impatiently, "this is just to see if everyone reacts the same—"

"If you don't stop doing it, I'm going to—" Hermione started.

"Put us in detention?" Fred interrupted.

"Make us write lines?" George added mockingly. People who were watching began to laugh, but Hermione glared angrily at them, her hands on her hips.

"No," she said, "but I will write to your mother." Fred and George stopped laughing at once.

"You wouldn't," George said.

"Oh, yes, I would," Hermione replied. "I can't stop you eating the stupid things yourselves, but you're not giving them to first years." She glared at them for a moment longer before shoving the clipboard and bag of sweets back into Fred's hands. Turning on her heel, she marched back over to where Harry, Liza, and Ron were sitting.

"Thank you for your support, Ron," Hermione said testily.

"You handled it fine by yourself," Ron replied, not looking at her. Hermione looked at her homework for a minute.

"Oh, it's no good," she sighed, "I can't concentrate now. I'm going to bed." She opened her bag and pulled out what looked like two woolen hats, placing them on the table in front of the fire. Then she spread some balled-up bits of parchment and old quills around the hats.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" Ron asked.

"They're hats for house-elves," Hermione replied, putting her homework back into her bag. "I did them over the summer. I'm a really slow knitter without magic, but now I'm back at school I should be able to make lots more."

"You're leaving out hats for the house-elves?" Ron repeated, as though he couldn't believe what Hermione was saying. "And you're covering them up with rubbish first?"

"Yes," Hermione said.

"That's not on," Ron said, shaking his head. "You're trying to trick them into picking up the hats. You're setting them free when they might not want to be free."

"Of course they want to be free!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't you dare touch those hats, Ron!" Then she turned and left for the girls' staircase. Ron immediately leaned forward and brushed the trash away from the hats.

"They should at least see what they're picking up," he said.

"I don't think that Hermione can set the house-elves free," Liza said, frowning at the hats. "I mean, the house-elves won't go near the clothes, but I'm pretty sure only Dumbledore would be able to free the elves." Ron and Harry shrugged, and Ron looked at his Potions essay.

"There's no point trying to finish this now," he sighed, "I can't do it without Hermione, I haven't got a clue what you're supposed to do with moonstones, have you?" Harry shook his head.

"I'm going to bed too," he said, and stood up, gathering his things. He left for the boys' staircase, leaving Ron and Liza in the common room.

"So, do _you_ know anything about moonstones?" Ron asked. Liza flipped her Potions book open and turned to the chapter that discussed moonstones. Ron groaned and sat back in his chair.

"Well, if you don't want my help, you can go to bed, too," Liza said, glaring at him.

"No, I need to get this homework done," Ron muttered.

"Well, it's not due until Thursday, you don't _have_ to get it done tonight," Liza said.

"I need to get some of it done tonight," Ron said. "I have a…thing to do tomorrow."

"A thing?" Liza repeated, raising an eyebrow at him. "What thing?"

"It's not a big deal," Ron mumbled, blushing slightly.

"Come on, Ron, you can tell me," Liza said, nudging his shoulder.

"You know what, I think I will go up to bed," he said hurriedly. He put his books back into his bag and left for the boys' dormitory after a quick 'good night'.

Now that Liza was alone, she was able to concentrate on her Potions essay. It took a while to stretch her essay to twelve inches of parchment, but after an hour she had managed to finish it. When she was done, she sat back in her armchair, glancing around the common room. Everyone else was hanging out with their friends, laughing and smiling, but for some reason Liza felt disconnected from all of them. There were a lot of them who didn't believe Harry, and Liza couldn't wait for them to realize how wrong they were.

Quietly, she gathered her school things up, put them all in her bag, and left for the girls' staircase.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Liza and Hermione met Harry and Ron in the common room before heading downstairs for breakfast. It was a dreary day outside again, with rain clattering against the windows of the castle. When they reached the Great Hall, they saw that Hagrid had still not returned.

"But on the plus side, no Snape today," Ron pointed out as they sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe not, but we have Care of Magical Creatures _and_ Herbology this afternoon," Liza said. "Hopefully the rain will let up before then." The four fifth-years began to fill their plates.

"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked suddenly, staring at Hermione.

"The hats have gone," Hermione replied. "Seems the house-elves do want freedom after all."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Ron replied. "They might not count as clothes. They didn't look anything like hats to me, more like wooly bladders."

"Ron!" Liza snapped.

"Well it's true!" Ron said, piling some more bacon on his plate.

The rest of their meal passed silently, with Hermione refusing to speak to Ron. When they were finished, they headed off for their first Charms class of the year. Liza walked with Hermione ahead of the boys.

"Are you okay, 'Mione?" Liza asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hermione replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Ron is being an ass," Liza answered, chuckling.

"I suppose so," Hermione said. "But he grew up in the Wizarding world, and he's had this prejudice against house-elves engrained in him since the day he was born. I can't expect him to realize it right away."

"Well, I guess you're right about that," Liza said, "but that doesn't mean he needs to go around criticizing your knit hats!"

"They definitely weren't the best hats I've ever knit, though," Hermione admitted. "But now that we're back at Hogwarts, I'll be able to use magic."

They reached their first class of the day, which was Charms. The Gryffindors all filed in and sat down. Tiny Professor Flitwick sat on his pile of books, beaming around at the class, and began the class with a speech on the importance of the O.W.L. exams.

"What you must remember," he said, "is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

The rest of the lesson was spent on review the Summoning Charm, and Professor Flitwick let them go at the end of class with a large amount of homework. The fifth-years then proceeded to Transfiguration, complaining the whole time about their Charms work.

Professor McGonagall also began her class with a lecture about the O.W.L.s

"You cannot pass an O.W.L. without serious application, practice, and study," she began. "I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work." At the table next to Liza, Neville let out a soft noise of disbelief. "Yes, you too, Longbottom," Professor McGonagall added, glancing at him. "There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So…today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L."

They took a few notes on Vanishing Spells before they were each given a snail in which to practice on. Hermione was successful on her third attempt, and Professor McGonagall granted her a ten points to Gryffindor. By the end of class, Liza had managed to make her snail vanish as well, although she was not awarded any points. Professor McGonagall told the class to practice the spell before class the following day.

"Harry and I are going to head up to the library to work on some of this homework," Ron said to the girls after class. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No," Hermione said simply, slinging her bag over her shoulder and leaving the classroom.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked, staring after her. Liza rolled her eyes.

"We're going to go down to lunch," Liza said, also throwing her bag over her shoulder. "We'll see you in Care of Magical Creatures." She hurried from the room and caught up with Hermione. "Still punishing Ron, I see?" she teased.

"If he thinks he can be rude to me and then expect me to help him with his homework, he's got another thing coming," Hermione replied. Liza grinned.

"Good for you, Hermione," she said. "But, speaking of homework, do you want to work on Arithmancy during lunch? I would love to get some of this homework done." Hermione agreed, and they spent their lunch hour finishing their Arithmancy homework.

"It feels much better to have that done," Liza said as they packed their bags at the end of lunch. They walked out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall when a call stopped them.

"Liza!" John was rushing over to join them, grinning, accompanied by his friend Rhonda, a fellow fifth-year Slytherin.

"Hi," Liza said. "Hi, Rhonda."

"Afternoon," Rhonda said, smiling at Liza and Hermione. "Ready for a proper Care of Magical Creatures lesson?"

"Proper?" Liza repeated, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah, well, you know," Rhonda said, shrugging, "Professor Grubbly-Plank is back. Now we're going to have a proper professor."

"You don't think Hagrid is a proper professor?" Liza asked, bristling slightly.

"Rhonda, I told you not to say something like that," John groaned, putting his arm around Liza's shoulders.

"There's nothing wrong with Hagrid," Rhonda said, waving John off. "I'm just saying, he's not exactly a professor."

"Okay, enough about Hagrid," Hermione cut in. "I'm just glad it's stopped raining." The four students left the castle and walked across the lawn towards Hagrid's hut. Professor Grubbly-Plank was standing a few few away from Hagrid's cabin. She stood next to a long table covered in what looked like twigs.

Liza, Hermione, John, and Rhonda were the first to arrive, followed closely by the rest of the Gryffindor fifth-years. A moment later, and the Slytherins had arrived as well, being led by Malfoy. They were all giggling and looking pointedly at Harry, who was doing his best to ignore them.

"Everyone here?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asked, calling the class to order. "Let's crack on then—who can tell me what these things are called?" Hermione immediately rose her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Liza saw Malfoy jumping up and down, mocking Hermione's eagerness. Liza had to take hold of John's hand to keep herself from reaching for her wand. Pansy Parkinson laughed loudly, but her laugh quickly turned into a scream of surprise as the twigs jumped up, revealing themselves to be alive.

"Oooooh!" Lavender and Parvati exclaimed.

"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" Professor Grubbly-Plank said, throwing down something which looked like brown rice in front of the twig-creatures. "So—anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"

"Bowtruckles," Hermione replied. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor," Professor Grubbly-Plank said, and Liza quickly squeezed Hermione's elbow. "Yes, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"

"Wood lice," Hermione answered. "But fairy eggs if they can get them."

"Good girl, take another five points," Professor Grubbly-Plank said. "So whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs."

"No kidding," Liza breathed, and John gently squeezed her hand.

"So if you'd like to gather closer," Professor Grubbly-Plank continued, "take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle—I have enough here for one between three—you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson." Hermione, although still upset with Ron, agreed to partner up with him and Harry, while Liza went with John and Rhonda. They took one of the bowtruckles and a handful of wood lice then found a spot near Hermione and Ron to do their work.

Drawing the bowtruckle turned out to be a bit more difficult than they'd expect. The bowtruckle didn't seem to want to stay still for more than a few seconds. Rhonda was the first one finished, and she laid back in the grass as John and Liza struggled to draw the bowtruckle. Liza glanced over to her other friends and saw them huddled close together, whispering to each other. Then Malfoy spoke up loudly from nearby.

"Yes, Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know," he said, "and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that over-grown moron _does_ show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."

"OUCH!" Harry gasped, and Liza looked over to see him holding his hand up, which was dripping blood.

"You all right?" Liza called over to him.

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking slightly embarrassed. Hermione handed him a handkerchief from her bag, and he wrapped up his hand.

When the bell rang, Liza said goodbye to John and Rhonda and joined Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

"What the hell was all that?" she asked immediately. Harry quickly relayed what Malfoy had said to him about Hagrid.

"If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time—" Harry growled, glaring after the group of Slytherins heading back up to the castle.

"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy," Hermione warned, "don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you—"

"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" Harry quipped, causing Ron to laugh and Liza to snort. Hermione frowned and said nothing. They slowly followed their Gryffindor classmates to their last class of the day, which was Herbology in the greenhouses.

"I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all," Harry said after a few minutes of silence. They had reached the greenhouses. "And _don't_ say that Grubbly-Plank woman's a better teacher!" he added, looking at Hermione.

"I wasn't going to," Hermione said evenly.

"Because she'll never be as good as Hagrid," Harry finished. They passed one of the greenhouses just as the door opened, and a group of fourth-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws came out.

"Hi!" Ginny said as she walked passed with some of her friends.

"Hi, Ginny," Liza and Hermione said at the same time. The rest of that class filed out, followed slowly by Luna Lovegood. She looked up, saw Harry, and changed direction mid-step to walk over.

"I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him," Luna said immediately.

"Er—right," Harry replied, looking startled. Liza glared over at Lavender and Parvati, who were pointing at Luna's radish earrings and giggling.

"You can laugh!" Luna said, thinking that they were laughing at her statement rather than her wardrobe. "But people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"

"Well, they were right, weren't they?" Hermione spoke up. "There _weren't_ any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack." Luna ignored her, turned on her heel, and strutted away. Most of the other Gryffindors were laughing by now at the girl's peculiar behavior.

"D'you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" Harry asked as they entered into the greenhouse they would be working in that day.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry, you can do better than _her_," Hermione replied scathingly, and Liza looked at her in surprise. "Ginny's told me all about her, apparently she'll only believe in things as long as there's no proof at all. Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone whose father runs _The Quibbler_."

"Come on, Hermione, that's not fair," Liza said. "Just because she's a bit eccentric—" They were interrupted by the arrival of Ernie Macmillan, a fifth-year Hufflepuff.

"I want you to know, Potter," he began loudly, "that it's not only weirdos who support you. I personally believe you one hundred percent. My family have always stood firm behind Dumbledore, and so do I."

"Er—thanks very much, Ernie," Harry replied, looking a bit happier than he had since being back at Hogwarts.

"Lay off the 'weirdos' part next time, though, eh Ernie?" Liza asked, frowning at his choice of words.

Professor Sprout entered a few minutes later, calling for their attention. She also began her class with a speech about the O.W.L. exams, which the fifth-years were getting quite tired of hearing about. At the end of another difficult lesson, Professor Sprout gave them an essay for homework, and they all left the greenhouses feeling exhausted.

"I have my first detention tonight," Harry moaned as they made their way up the lawn. "I need to get something to eat; mind going straight to the Great Hall so I can have some food?" Hermione, Liza, and Ron agreed. They made it inside the Great Hall when a yell from behind them made them stop.

"Oy, Potter!" Turning, they saw Angelina Johnson stomping over to Harry, looking very upset.

"What now?" Harry asked.

"I'll tell you what now," she said, poking him in the chest as she stopped in front of him. "How come you've landed yourself in detention for five o'clock on Friday?"

"What?" Harry asked. "Why—" His eyes widened and he said, "Oh yeah, Keeper tryouts!"

"_Now_ he remembers!" Angelina cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "Didn't I tell you I wanted to do a tryout with the _whole team_, and find someone who _fitted in with everyone_? Didn't I tell you I'd booked the Quidditch pitch specifically? And now you've decided you're not going to be there!"

"I didn't decide not to be there!" Harry insisted. "I got detention from that Umbridge woman, just because I told her the truth about You-Know-Who—"

"Well, you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday," Angelina said, "and I don't care how you do it, tell her You-Know-Who's a figment of your imagination if you like, just _make sure you're there_!" She turned and left.

"You know what?" Harry said as they walked down to the Gryffindor table. "I think we'd better check with Puddlemere United whether Oliver Wood's been killed during a training session, because she seems to be channeling his spirit."

"What d'you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?" Ron asked as they sat down.

"Less than zero," Harry replied, piling some food onto his plate. "Better try, though, hadn't I? I'll offer to do two more detentions or something, I dunno… I hope she doesn't keep me too long this evening. You realize we've got to write three essays, practice Vanishing Spells for McGonagall, work out a countercharm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing, and start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?" Ron was looking at the ceiling.

"_And_ it looks like it's going to rain," he complained.

"What's that got to do with our homework?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Ron replied.

After dinner, they all went back up to the common room. Harry went to wash up and then said good-bye to his friends before leaving for his detention. Ron quickly excused himself as well, muttering about having something else to do, leaving Hermione and Liza to do their homework together.

Liza and Hermione spent the rest of the evening in the common room, finishing their homework together. Ron eventually rejoined them, looking tired and wet.

"Where have you been?" Liza asked. "Why are you soaking wet?"

"It was raining," Ron replied vaguely.

"Why were you outside?" Hermione asked, but Ron shook his head, refusing to answer them. He disappeared up the boys' staircase and didn't come back down.

It was nearly midnight when Hermione and Liza decided to go up to bed, even though Harry still hadn't returned from his detention.

"I hope that horrible woman doesn't keep him too late," Liza said as she and Hermione climbed into their beds. "He's not going to have any time to finish his homework at this rate." Then the girls bid each other good night and went to sleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Hermione and Liza went down to the common room and found Harry and Ron sitting at a table together, trying to come up with ideas for their dream diary for Divination. The girls ended up going down to breakfast without the boys.

In the Great Hall, John joined Liza and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

"Good morning," he said, pressing a kiss against the side of Liza's head as he sat down. "Where are Ron and Harry?"

"Well, Harry had detention last night with that Umbridge woman," Liza replied, "and Ron was off doing who knows what, so they're upstairs in the common room trying to finish their Divination homework."

"I see," John said. "The homework load has been quite heavy this year."

"It's not too bad if you can manage your time properly," Hermione said.

"Or, in Harry's case, if you can learn to control your temper," Liza said. John looked at her questioningly and she continued, "Don't tell me you didn't hear about his outburst in Umbridge's class?"

"No, I heard about it," John replied. "I didn't realize that it was a regular thing."

"It has been this year," Liza said, frowning.

"It must be really hard to have the majority of the Wizarding world not believe him and call him a nutter," John said. He stabbed at his egg with extra force. "I wish I could help," he added quietly.

"You believe us," Liza said, putting her hand on his arm. "That's more than enough help right now."

"Of course I believe you," John said. "But I have proof other than Harry's testimony. Except if I were to talk about it, I could put my family in serious danger."

"It's okay," Liza said soothingly. She knew that John had been struggling since You-Know-Who had returned.

"We should probably get going to class," Hermione said, checking her watch. The three of them finished up their breakfast.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute," Liza said to Hermione as they stood up. Hermione nodded and walked towards the Entrance Hall. Liza turned to John, who gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry about me," John said before Liza could say anything. "I just need to keep my head low about all this."

"That's kind of hard to do when you're friends with us," Liza said, "but I understand. You need to stay safe." John tucked some of Liza's hair back behind her ear.

"We should get going to class," he said. "I'll see you later, okay?" Liza nodded, and John briefly kissed her. There were some hoots and whistles from people around them, and Liza rolled her eyes. She and John parted ways in the Entrance Hall, and Liza hurried to catch up with Hermione.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Liza replied. "He's just been under a bit of stress since You-Know-Who returned. But he'll be fine." Hermione nodded, and the girls separated as Hermione went off to Ancient Runes and Liza went to Muggle Studies.

After another long and stressful day, along with another large load of homework, Liza, Hermione, Harry, and Ron went down to the Great Hall for dinner. Angelina cornered Harry once more, and she was very unhappy to hear that Harry wouldn't be able to get out of detention on Friday.

"I'm not impressed with your attitude, Potter," Angelina glowered. "I expect that players who wish to remain on the team put their training before any other commitments." Then she tramped away.

"I'm in detention!" Harry exclaimed loudly at her back. "D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"

"At least it's only lines," Hermione said as Harry sat back down at the Gryffindor table. "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really…" Harry looked as though he was going to say something, but he decided against it and nodded.

"I can't believe how much homework we've got," Ron whined.

"Well, why didn't you do any last night?" Hermione asked.

"Where were you anyway?" Liza added.

"I was…I fancied a walk," Ron replied, not looking at either girl.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next few days passed in a very similar manner. While Liza and Hermione were keeping up with their homework, Harry still had detentions to do and Ron was never in the common room in the evenings.

Friday evening finally arrived, and the Gryffindor common room was buzzing about the Quidditch tryouts. Hermione and Liza were tucked away in a corner, doing some homework, when the portrait hole opened and the Quidditch team flooded in with cases of butterbeer.

"C'mon, everyone, we're celebrating!" Fred announced, holding up the butterbeer. "My little brother Ron has just been made Keeper!" Liza and Hermione exchanged a surprised glance before jumping up and hurrying over to their friend.

"You tried out for Keeper?" Hermione asked. "Is that why you haven't been in the common room all week?"

"Yeah," Ron replied, blushing slightly.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were planning on trying out?" Liza asked, happy for her friend but a little irritated that he felt the need to keep it a secret.

"I didn't want you to make fun of me," Ron insisted. Fred passed the three of them butterbeer, and the three of them touched bottles before taking a swig.

The party, though low-key, went on into the night. Liza sat with Hermione for a while until Hermione fell asleep in the chair. Fred and George took the opportunity to test some more of their Skiving Snackboxes on willing first years.

The portrait hole opened again, and Liza saw Harry step into the common room, looking a bit pale. Before she could go over to him, Ron had lurched across the room.

"Harry, I did it, I'm in, I'm Keeper!" he said.

"What? Oh—brilliant!" Harry exclaimed, trying to look excited. Liza looked suspiciously at him, glancing at his hand, which looked like it was bleeding.

"Have a butterbeer," Ron said, handing him a bottle. "I can't believe it—where's Hermione gone?"

"She's there," Fred said, pointing over to the chair Hermione was slumped in.

"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," Ron said. Liza joined them.

"Of course she's pleased," she said.

"Let her sleep," George said.

"Come here, Ron, and see if Oliver's old robes fit you," Katie Bell, one of the Gryffindor Chasers, called from the other side of the room. "We can take off his name and put yours on instead…" Ron walked over to them, but before Liza could ask Harry about his hand, Angelina came up to him.

"Sorry I was a bit short with you earlier, Potter," she said. "It's stressful, this managing lark, you know, I'm starting to think I was a bit hard on Wood sometimes." She paused and then continued, "Look, I know he's your best mate, but he's not fabulous. I think with a bit of training he'll be all right, though. He comes from a family of good Quidditch players. I'm banking on him turning out to have a bit more talent than he showed today, to be honest. Vicky Frobisher and Geoffrey Hooper both flew better this evening, but Hooper's a real whiner, he's always moaning about something or other, and Vicky's involved in all sorts of societies, she admitted herself that if training clashed with her Charm Club she'd put Charms first. Anyway, we're having a practice session at two o'clock tomorrow, so just make sure you're there this time. And do me a favor and help Ron as much as you can, okay?" Harry nodded.

"Harry, is something wrong with your hand?" Liza asked finally, pointing at his hand.

"Come over here," Harry replied, gesturing at her to follow him. He went over to where Hermione was sitting. Hermione woke up when Harry put his bag onto the table.

"Oh, Harry, it's you…" she said. "Good about Ron, isn't it? I'm just so—so—so tired. I was up until one o'clock making more hats. They're disappearing like mad!"

"Great," Harry said. "Listen, Hermione, Liza, I was just up in Umbridge's office and she touched my arm…" He proceeded to explain how he had felt a pain in his scar when she had touched him.

"You're worried that You-Know-Who's controlling her like he controlled Quirrell?" Liza asked when he'd finished.

"Well, it's a possibility, isn't it?" Harry replied in a low voice.

"I suppose so," Hermione said. "But I don't think he can be _possessing_ her the way he possessed Quirrell, I mean, he's properly alive again, now, isn't he, he's got his own body, he wouldn't need to share someone else's. He could have her under the Imperius Curse, I suppose…" There was a moment of silence before Hermione added, "But last year your scar hurt when nobody was touching you, and didn't Dumbledore say it had to do with what You-Know-Who was feeling at the time? I mean, maybe this hasn't got anything to do with Umbridge at all, maybe it's just a coincidence it happened while you were with her?"

"She's evil," Harry said. "Twisted."

"She's horrible, yes," Liza agreed.

"But…Harry, I think you ought to tell Dumbledore your scar hurt," Hermione said.

"I'm not bothering him with this," Harry said firmly. "Like you just said, it's not a big deal. It's been hurting on and off all summer—it was just a bit worse tonight, that's all—"

"Harry, I'm sure Dumbledore would _want_ to be bothered by this," Liza said.

"Yeah, that's the only bit of me Dumbledore cares about, isn't it, my scar?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Don't say that, it's not true!" Hermione gasped.

"I think I'll write Sirius about it, see what he thinks—" Harry suggested.

"Harry, you can't put something like that in a letter!" Hermione exclaimed. "Don't you remember, Moody told us to be careful what we put in writing! We just can't guarantee owls aren't being intercepted anymore!"

"All right, all right, I won't tell him, then!" Harry huffed. He stood up. "I'm going to bed. Tell Ron for me, will you?"

"Oh no," Hermione said, "if you're going that means I can go without being rude too, I'm absolutely exhausted and I want to make some more hats tomorrow. Listen, you can help me if you like, it's quite fun, I'm getting better, I can do patterns and bobbles and all sorts of things now."

"Er…no, I don't think I will, thanks," Harry replied awkwardly. "Er—not tomorrow. I've got loads of homework to do… Liza, will you tell Ron?"

"Yeah, I can," Liza replied. "But—what's wrong with your hand?" Harry didn't answer her; he picked up his bag and left for the boys' staircase, leaving Hermione and Liza to stare after him.

**~LJ:NK~**


	10. Chapter 10 Fireplace Conversations

_**A/N: Sorry it's been a while, but here's the next chapter. Enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 10 – Fireplace Conversations**

Liza woke up the next morning, happy that they had finally reached the first weekend. Hermione was already awake and sitting up in her bed, magically knitting another elf hat.

"Good morning," Hermione said briskly.

"Morning, 'Mione," Liza replied. "Have you been awake for a while?"

"A little while," Hermione answered. "Parvati and Lavender were already gone so I figured I'd take advantage of the peace and quiet. But now that you're awake, do you want to get some breakfast?"

"Yeah," Liza said. She got out of bed and changed out of her pajamas. Hermione also changed, and then the girls went down to the common room. They met up with Ron, who was still basking in the joy of becoming Keeper.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Nice day, right?" Liza and Hermione exchanged a look, chuckling.

"Morning, Ron," Liza said. "Shall we go down to breakfast?" Ron agreed, and the three Gryffindors headed down to the Great Hall.

"So where's Harry?" Hermione asked as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"I dunno," Ron replied. "He was gone when I woke up."

"Gone?" Liza repeated, frowning. Ron shrugged, reaching for the dishes of breakfast. A few minutes later, Harry joined them.

"Morning," he said happily, sitting down next to Hermione.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Erm…Quidditch later," Harry replied. Liza raised her eyebrows at him.

"So where were you this morning?" she asked.

"Nowhere," Harry insisted, piling some bacon onto his plate. "Don't worry about it."

"Listen…" Ron started. "You don't fancy going out to the pitch a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to—er—give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit…"

"Yeah, okay," Harry agreed.

"Look, I don't think you should," Hermione cut in, "you're both really behind on homework as it is…" She trailed off as owls began to swoop into the Great Hall, carrying the morning mail. An owl landed next to Hermione, delivering her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Hermione paid the owl and unfolded the paper.

"Anything interesting?" Ron asked.

"No," Hermione replied, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married…" She leafed through the paper as Ron, Harry, and Liza continued their breakfast.

"Wait a moment," Hermione gasped. "Oh no…Sirius!"

"What's happened?" Harry asked, grabbing the newspaper from Hermione so suddenly that it tore in half.

"'_The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer…blah blah blah…is currently hiding in London!_'" Hermione read aloud in a whisper.

"Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything," Liza said furiously. "He _did_ recognize Sirius on the platform—"

"What?" Ron asked, startled. "You didn't say—"

"Shh!" the others hushed him.

"… '_Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous…killed thirteen people…broke out of Azkaban…_' the usual rubbish," Hermione finished reading. She set down her part of the newspaper and looked at her friends worriedly before adding, "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all. Dumbledore did warn him not to." There was a moment of silence as the four Gryffindors pondered what this meant for Sirius.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, laying his half of the newspaper on the table. "Look at this!" Liza and Ron frowned in confusion; all they could see was an advertisement for Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"I've got all the robes I want," Ron said, shaking his head.

"No," Harry said impatiently, "look…this little piece here—" He turned it around so Liza and Ron could read it.

_**Trespass At Ministry**_

_Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defense, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban._

"Sturgis Podmore?" Ron said. "But he's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord—"

"Ron, _shh_!" Liza hissed, glancing around them to make sure he wasn't overheard.

"Six months in Azkaban!" Harry said in a low voice. "Just for trying to get through a door!"

"Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door—what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?" Hermione said.

"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron asked.

"Wait a moment…" Harry began, frowning. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"

"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross," Liza confirmed. "And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up."

"That doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?" Harry pointed out.

"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," Hermione guessed.

"It could be a frame-up!" Ron guessed. "No—listen! The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so—I dunno—they _lured_ him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!" Harry didn't look convinced, but Hermione and Liza exchanged a glance.

"Do you know," Hermione said, "I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true." There was another silence as they all finished up their breakfast.

"Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self-Fertilizing Shrubs first," Hermione began briskly, "and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus before lunch—"

"You know, Hermione, we're going to go down to the Quidditch pitch," Harry said. Ron brightened up at this. "In fact, we should head down there right now."

"Yeah!" Ron agreed enthusiastically. He hopped up from the bench.

"You know, if you don't do your homework, you will never pass your O.W.L.s!" Hermione exclaimed. "I won't let you copy off me!" But Harry and Ron just grinned at the girls and departed.

"Morning." John had arrived, pressing a kiss to the side of Liza's head as he sat down.

"Hey," Liza said, smiling at him. He greeted Hermione as well, taking in her scowl.

"What did those boys do this time?" he asked, smirking knowingly. Hermione shook her head.

"Well, they're both very behind on homework, what with Ron spending the week practicing for Quidditch tryouts and Harry in detention," Liza explained. "But instead of getting caught up on homework before practice, they decided to go down to the Quidditch pitch now." Hermione huffed.

"I mean it, you know," she grumbled. "I'm not going to let Ron copy off me this year if this is going to be his attitude about schoolwork. I know he's excited about making the team—"

"Ron made the Quidditch team?" John asked. "Very impressive."

"I know," Hermione sighed. "I'm happy for him, I really am, but I think he needs to sort out his priorities. Homework should come first, especially since it's O.W.L. year."

"I suppose you're right," John replied. "So is that what you're planning on doing today, homework?"

"Probably," Liza said. "The teachers are being especially ruthless this year, and we've only been back for a week. I'm starting to regret choosing three extra classes back in third year now."

The three students stayed in the Great Hall for a little while longer before Hermione insisted that they get started on all the work they had to do. They left the Great Hall and went into the Entrance Hall.

"Hermione, you go on ahead," Liza said, pausing at the foot of the marble staircase. "I'll catch up to you in a minute." Hermione nodded and headed up the stairs, while Liza turned back to John.

"I'm sorry to run off on you already," she said.

"That's okay," John replied. "Homework is important. I have a lot to do, as well."

"It's kind of hard to move our relationship forward when we can't spend time together, though," Liza said shyly.

"It also doesn't help that I'm the son of a Death Eater and you're a 'Muggle-lover'," John said, use his fingers to make quotation marks in the air. He reached over and tucked some of Liza's hair behind her ear. "The important thing is that you still want to be with me. That's all I care about right now."

"Of course I still want to be with you!" Liza exclaimed. John smiled.

"Then everything else will work itself out," he said. "We'll just have to make some study dates in the library." Then he kissed her.

"Ow-ow!"

"Get a room!"

John pulled away from Liza, shaking his head. Liza blushed, glancing around the Entrance Hall.

"I'll see you later, okay?" John asked.

"Yes," Liza promised. He smirked, quickly kissing her once more, before leaving for his common room. Liza turned around and went up the marble stairs.

When she reached the common room, she found Hermione settling down to start working on her homework. Liza quickly got her school things and joined her friend.

**~LJ:NK~**

Hermione and Liza completed a few of their assignments before deciding to head back down to the Great Hall for lunch.

"So, how are things with you and John?" Hermione asked as she and Liza set off from Gryffindor tower.

"Everything's okay," Liza replied. "I feel like I've hardly gotten to see him except for the classes we share. This morning we agreed that we needed to set some study dates in the library so we could spend more time together outside of class, though."

"There's always Hogsmeade, as well," Hermione pointed out helpfully. "You two don't need to come with us all the time."

"It's not just that," Liza sighed. "I mean, I have to keep everything about the Order from him, as well. I hate keeping secrets from him, but I know I have to, especially since his father's a Death Eater."

"He's on our side, though," Hermione said. "He knows that you're not really keeping secrets from him. You're just not telling him sensitive information. And in a few years, he'll be seventeen and he'll be able to leave his parents' house."

"That's still over a year from now," Liza complained. "I wish I could tell him everything now, but I could never ask him to leave his parents, he'd have nowhere to go. I don't want to put him in danger. This whole You-Know-Who thing is making everything so complicated!"

The two girls reached the Great Hall and sat at the Gryffindor table next to Neville.

"Hello," Neville greeted them, smiling. "How's your Saturday coming along?"

"Pretty well," Liza replied. "How about you?"

"It's been okay," Neville replied. "I've been struggling a bit with McGonagall's essay, but I've almost finished it."

A few minutes later, Harry and Ron joined them. Hermione glowered at them as they sat down.

"So how was flying?" Liza asked lightly, glancing at Hermione.

"It was fine," Harry replied. "Ron blocked nearly everything I threw at him. Mind you, I'm not a Chaser, but after a few practices, I'm sure he'll be great." Ron nodded, shoveling food into his mouth.

"You know, you really have a lot of homework to do, both of you," Hermione said.

"Well, we're not going to be able to do it until tonight," Ron said. "We've got practice after lunch." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Leave it, Hermione," Liza said gently. "There's nothing they can do about it, they made a commitment to the team."

After lunch, Harry and Ron hurried back out to the Quidditch pitch, and Liza and Hermione returned to the common room. They continued to work on their homework for a few hours before Harry and Ron returned. Ron looked upset as he and Harry approached the girls.

"How was practice?" Liza asked, while Hermione made it a point to not look up.

"It was—" Harry started, but Ron cut him off.

"Completely lousy," he whined, plopping into the chair next to Hermione. Hermione looked up, her irritation with Ron seemingly gone.

"Well, it was only your first one," she said, "it's bound to take time to—"

"Who said it was me who made it lousy?" Ron asked roughly, glaring.

"No one," Hermione replied, "I thought—"

"You thought I was bound to be rubbish?" Ron demanded.

"No, of course I didn't!" Hermione insisted. "Look, you said it was lousy so I just—"

"I'm going to get started on some homework," Ron grumbled. He stood up and disappeared up the boys' staircase.

"_Was_ he lousy?" Liza asked, looking at Harry.

"No," Harry said. Liza and Hermione exchanged a look before raising their eyebrows at him. "Well, I suppose he could've played better," Harry added quietly. "But it was only the first training session, like you said…"

For the rest of the evening, the four fifth-years continued to work on their homework. Harry and Ron seemed particularly distracted, and Ron went up to bed surprisingly early. After Hermione left as well, Liza turned to Harry.

"Okay, what's wrong, Harry?" she asked. "Ron seems really frustrated. Did something happen at practice?"

"Well," Harry started awkwardly, "a group of Slytherins showed up to watch us. Ron managed to hit Katie in the face with the Quaffle and her nose started bleeding, so Fred gave her something to stop the blood only it made it worse… And meanwhile, all the Slytherins were chanting '_Gryffindors are losers_' the whole time, and Ron was a nervous wreck, and we had to end practice early so Fred and George could take Katie to the hospital wing."

"Wow," Liza said when he was done. "No wonder he was so distracted. You two are going to have a lot to do tomorrow, though. And don't for a second think that Hermione is going to help either of you."

"I know," Harry said glumly. "I don't think I can concentrate on this anymore tonight. I'm going to head up to bed." He gathered up his things and stood up. "Good night, Liza," he said.

"Night, Harry," Liza replied.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning at breakfast, John joined Liza and Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

"So how did you do getting your homework done?" John asked after he sat down.

"We got most of it done," Liza replied brightly. "One more essay to go."

"In that case, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a walk with me around the grounds?" John asked hopefully. "I mean, who knows how long the weather is going to stay nice?"

"That sounds fine to me," Liza agreed, smiling at him. They finished up their breakfast, said good-bye to Hermione, and headed out to the grounds. John took her hand in his as they strolled around the lake.

"So how was your summer?" John asked.

"Well… It was all right," Liza said vaguely. "I mean, I can't really talk about much of it…"

"I know," John sighed. "This sucks. It's like we can hardly talk about anything now. And it's all my fault."

"Don't say that!" Liza exclaimed, stopping and spinning around to stand in front of him. "It's not your fault that your father made the choices he did." John looked down at his feet, frowning.

"I wish I could leave home," he admitted. He glanced up at Liza, smirking, and added, "Think the Weasleys could take in another kid?" Liza giggled.

"Imagine how upset your parents would be if you left them and started living with the Weasleys," she said. "Speaking of your parents, what do you tell them about how you feel?"

"I don't," John replied. "I avoid my father for the most part. Besides, it's not like they openly talk about his Death Eater ways in front of me. My mother likes to avoid talking about it, especially." The continued around the lake for a few minutes in silence.

"So if we can't talk about our summers or home lives," Liza started, "I suppose we'll have to find something else to talk about. What about school? How do you like your classes?"

"They're all right," John answered. "Oh, hey, do you want to sit down for a bit?" He gestured to a large rock along the shore, and Liza gladly sat down on it.

"I wish that the teachers would stop lecturing us about how important O.W.L.s are," she complained as John sat down next to her. "We get it, these exams are important. You can stop shoving it down our throats now."

"Yeah, I suppose it's getting a bit annoying," John said. "They just want us to succeed, though."

"Well, _most_ of them," Liza said, tipping her head onto his shoulder.

"Snape?" John asked, chuckling.

"You have to admit, he's quite unpleasant to a lot of us Gryffindors," Liza pointed out. "I'm sure he'd love to not see any of us in his N.E.W.T. class. I'm sure you'll get in just fine."

"Do you really want to take Potions at N.E.W.T. level?" John asked curiously.

"I really haven't thought about it a lot," Liza said. "I want to help work on Wizard and Muggle relations. I remember walking around at the Quidditch World Cup last summer and seeing how many wizards can't function in Muggle society. It's so bizarre to me; witches and wizards in America can pass for Muggles pretty easily, but for some reason witches and wizards in Britain can't."

"There are probably a lot more traditions here that witches and wizards try to uphold," John said. "But you definitely have a point."

"What about you?" Liza asked. "What do you want to do? Be an Auror like Harry and Ron?"

"Maybe not an Auror," John replied. "I would like to do something in law enforcement, though." They were quiet for a few minutes, soaking in the sunrays.

"So how do you feel about Umbridge?" Liza asked.

"She's a bit obvious, don't you think?" John said. "I mean, the only reason she's here is to keep tabs on Dumbledore and the rest of the staff for the Ministry."

"That's what Hermione said, too," Liza said, frowning. "And she's not going to let us do magic in class! How are we supposed to take a practical exam when we've never cast any of the spells we'll be tested on?"

"Yeah, that part is a bit weird," John agreed. "But hey, look at it this way, she probably won't last till the end of the year," he added, smirking. Liza laughed.

"That's what I said, too!" she said gleefully. John smiled, pushing some of Liza's hair out of her eyes. Liza reached up and kissed him.

**~LJ:NK~**

A little while later, Liza and John went back up to the castle to finish their homework. They parted in the Entrance Hall after a brief kiss, and Liza hurried up to Gryffindor Tower. When she arrived, she saw Harry and Ron bent over a table and surrounded by books. Hermione was sitting across the room with Ginny, doing magical knitting.

"Hello, boys," Liza greeted, walking over to Harry's and Ron's table. They both looked up at her.

"Where've you been?" Ron asked.

"John and I went for a walk around the grounds, since we're caught up on our homework," Liza replied. "Well, mostly caught up. Do you mind if I join you? I have a Muggle Studies essay I want to finish before lunch."

"Pull up a seat," Harry said.

"I'll be right back, I need to get my things," Liza said. She trooped up to her dormitory, retrieved her backpack, and rejoined the boys in the common room. She shoved aside Ron's History of Magic textbook over and sat down in one of the empty seats.

By lunchtime, Liza had finished her Muggle Studies essay as planned, and she glanced at the boys to see how they were doing.

"Okay, boys," she began, "I'm going to assume you've been doing homework since after breakfast, yes?"

"Yeah," Ron grunted.

"Then I think it's time for you two to take a break and get something to eat," Liza finished. "C'mon, get up. Time for lunch." The boys reluctantly got up and the three of them went down to the Great Hall for some lunch.

The rest of the afternoon, Liza joined Ginny and Hermione lounging around the common room.

"So, Ginny, how's your boyfriend?" Liza asked, grinning and leaning back in her chair. Boots trotted over and jumped up into her lap, curling into a ball.

"He's fine," Ginny replied. "I mean, he's a good snog and all, but he might be _too_ into his schoolwork. He's such a Ravenclaw sometimes that it can get irritating."

"How do you know he's a good snog?" Liza asked curiously. "Have you snogged someone else to be sure?"

"Well…no, I haven't," Ginny answered. "But I don't hate it, so it can't be that bad. How about you, is John a good kisser?"

"Yeah, I suppose he is," Liza said thoughtfully. "I mean, I've got nobody to compare him to, but I also don't hate it. What about you, Hermione?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked quickly, her cheeks going red.

"Don't tell us you never snogged Krum last year?" Ginny said.

"Well, I-I—" Hermione stammered.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Liza assured her. "But we're going to take that as a yes." She and Ginny exchanged grins.

"All right, all right, yes, we snogged," Hermione grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "It was only a few times, though. Now can we change the subject, please?"

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, and then went down to dinner together. After dinner, Liza joined Fred and George in the common room for some games of Exploding Snap.

It was nearly midnight when Liza and Hermione went over to see how Harry and Ron were doing on their homework.

"Nearly done?" Liza asked.

"No," Ron replied bitterly.

"Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede, not Callisto," Hermione said, looking over Ron's Astronomy essay, "and it's Io that's got the volcanoes."

"Thanks," Ron growled, scribbling out the wrong information.

"Sorry, I only—" Hermione started.

"Yeah, well, if you've just come over here to criticize—" Ron interrupted.

"Ron—" Hermione tried to say.

"I haven't got time to listen to a sermon, all right, Hermione," Ron stated, "I'm up to my neck in it here—"

"No—look!" Hermione said, pointing to one of the windows. The others all looked over to see an owl standing on the windowsill.

"Isn't that Hermes?" Liza asked, bewildered.

"Blimey, it is!" Ron said, also surprised. He stood up, adding, "What's Percy writing to me for?" He went over to the window and let the owl in. Hermes flew into the common room and landed on the boys' table, holding his leg out. Ron pulled the letter off, and the owl flew back out the window and into the night. Liza went over and shut the window behind him as Ron looked at the letter.

"That's definitely Percy's handwriting," Ron said, sitting back down and flipping the letter around so the others could see that it was addressed to him. "What d'you reckon?" he asked uncertainly.

"Open it!" Hermione and Liza insisted, and Harry nodded in agreement. Ron unfolded the letter and read it through. The further he read, the more annoyed he looked. When he was finished, he held the letter out wordlessly for the others to see. Liza and Hermione leaned over Harry to read it.

_Dear Ron,_

_I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister of Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect._

_I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the "Fred and George" route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility._

_But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions._

_From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternization with that boy. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this—no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favorite—but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge of Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different—and possibly more accurate—view of Potter's behavior. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing—and see if you can spot yours truly!_

_Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality if you ask me and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt._

_It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter—I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violet—but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behavior that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a really delightful woman, who I know will be only too happy to advise you._

_This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that so far Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week—again, see the _Prophet_ tomorrow!). I shall say only this—a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years!_

_I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticize our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore (if you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders). I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people—the Minister really could not be more gracious to me—and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realize how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes._

_Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect._

_Your brother,_

_Percy_

Liza was clenching her jaw very tightly when she had finished reading and looked back up at Ron. Harry cleared his throat.

"Well, if you want to—er—what is it?" he said, glancing back at the letter to check something. "Oh yeah—'sever ties' with me, I swear I won't get violent."

"Give it back," Ron demanded, his voice shaking angrily. Harry handed it over immediately, and Ron started to tear up the letter, saying, "He is—the world's—biggest—_git_." He took the pieces of letter over to the fire and threw them in.

"Come on, we've got to get this finished some time before dawn," Ron said, walking back over to his and Harry's table. He sat down and stared at his Astronomy essay.

"Oh, give them here," Hermione said suddenly, holding her hands out.

"What?" Ron asked, confused.

"Give them to me, I'll look through them and correct them," Hermione sighed.

"Are you serious?" Ron asked. "Ah, Hermione, you're a lifesaver, what can I—?"

"What you can say is, 'We promise we'll never leave our homework this late again,'" Hermione said, sitting down and taking their essays from them.

"Thanks a million, Hermione," Harry said. Liza chuckled.

The last few people trickled out of the common room as Hermione went through the boys' essays. Harry and Ron sat on the couch in front of the fire, looking exhausted, while Liza sat in one of the armchairs.

"Ron," Hermione said softly, coming over to him with his essay in one hand and another piece of parchment. Ron looked up as Hermione sat down in the armchair next to him and handed him the essay and the other parchment. "Okay, write that down," she said, motioning to the other parchment, "and then copy out this conclusion I've written for you."

"Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," Ron said, "and if I'm ever rude to you again—"

"I'll know you're back to normal," Hermione said, sounding amused. She turned to Harry and said, "Harry, yours is okay except for this bit at the end, I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra, Europa's covered in _ice_, not mice—"

"Harry?" Liza asked, noticing that he wasn't paying attention to what Hermione was saying. Harry got out of his chair and crouched in front of the fire. "Er—Harry?" Liza tried again. "Why are you down there?"

"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," Harry replied matter-of-factly. Liza jumped up and joined her brother in front of the fire, but didn't see anything.

"Sirius's head?" Hermione echoed. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too—"

"_Sirius_!" Liza exclaimed. Sirius's head had just appeared in the fire, grinning up at his godchildren.

"I was starting to think you'd gone to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry asked, chuckling.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear yet," Sirius replied, nodding.

"But what if you'd been seen?" Hermione asked, standing up behind Liza and Harry to look into the fire.

"Well, I think a girl—first year by the look of her—might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Sirius said, noticing the look of horror on Liza's face. "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly shaped log or something."

"But Sirius, this is taking an awful risk," Hermione said.

"You sound like Molly," Sirius said. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code—and codes are breakable." Liza looked at Harry, her mouth dropping open.

"You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" she said.

"I forgot," Harry said sheepishly. "Don't look at me like that, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?"

"No, it was very good," Sirius replied. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed—your scar."

"What about—?" Ron began, but Hermione cut him off.

"We'll tell you afterward, go on, Sirius," she urged.

"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about," Sirius said. "It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," Harry replied. "So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention."

"Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often," Sirius said.

"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it," Sirius answered. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater—"

"She's foul enough to be one," Harry muttered, and Liza nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," Sirius said. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though—you should hear Remus talk about her."

"Does Lupin know her?" Liza asked.

"No," Sirius replied, shaking his head, "but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job." Liza scowled.

"What's she got against werewolves?" Hermione asked.

"Scared of them, I expect," Sirius said. "Apparently she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose—"

"Sirius," Liza groaned, and Hermione exclaimed, "Sirius!" at the same time. Ron roared with laughter.

"Honestly, if you made a bit of effort with Kreacher, I'm sure he'd respond," Hermione continued, "after all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said—"

"So what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Sirius asked, stopping Hermione. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"

"No," Harry replied. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"

"All we do is read the stupid textbook," Ron added.

"Ah, well, that figures," Sirius said. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

"_Trained in combat_?" Harry repeated. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?"

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," Sirius said, "or rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing—forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

"A private army of _children_?" Liza asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Ron said, "including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."

"So we're being prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" Hermione asked for clarity, sounding upset.

"Yep," Sirius answered simply. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

"D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow?" Harry asked. "Only Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be—"

"I don't know," Sirius replied, frowning, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here—"

"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?" Hermione asked.

"Ah…" Sirius said, "well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him." There was a pause as Sirius took in their panic-stricken faces, and Sirius quickly continued, "But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you four get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."

"But if he was supposed to be back by now…" Liza said, trailing off uncertainly.

"Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home," Sirius replied, "but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or—well, nothing to suggest he's not perfect okay." Liza exchanged a glance with Harry. "Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," Sirius advised them, "it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be okay. When's your next Hogsmeade weekend anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could—"

"NO!" Harry, Liza, and Hermione shouted. Sirius looked taken aback.

"Sirius, didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_?" Hermione asked.

"Oh that," Sirius replied, "they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue—"

"Yeah, but we think this time they have," Harry said. "Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius—you know, Lucius Malfoy—so don't come up here, whatever you do, if Malfoy recognizes you again—"

"All right, all right, I've got the point," Sirius said. "Just an idea, thought you might like to get together—"

"I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!" Harry exclaimed. There was a pause.

"You're less like your father than I thought," Sirius said. "The risk would've been what made it fun for James."

"Sirius, that's not fair," Liza said.

"Look—" Harry started, but Sirius cut them off.

"Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs," he said. "I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?" Then with a _pop_, Sirius's head disappeared from the fire.

**~LJ:NK~**


	11. Chapter 11 Umbridge: High Inquisitor

_**A/N: OMG an update yay! We're getting into the good parts of the book, so hopefully I'll have more motivation to write. (It doesn't help that I've had an idea for another fanfic and have been working out the details for it while this one sits on my computer unfinished.)**_

**Chapter 11 – Umbridge: High Inquisitor**

The next morning, Liza, Hermione, Ron, and Harry went down to breakfast ready to scour through the _Daily Prophet_ to find what Percy had written about. However, when the owl brought Hermione the newspaper, it took Hermione mere seconds to find what they were looking for.

"Look at this!" she gasped, spreading the front page across the table so the other three could see it. There was a large picture of Umbridge smiling up at them underneath the headline:

_**Ministry Seeks Educational Reform  
>Dolores Umbridge Appointed First-Ever "High Inquisitor"<strong>_

"'High Inquisitor'?" Harry asked, dropping a bit of toast onto his plate. "What does that mean?" Hermione cleared her throat and began to read the article aloud.

_In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

"_The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve."_

_This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

"_That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success—"_

"She's been a WHAT?" Liza asked, letting out an incredulous laugh.

"Wait, there's more," Hermione said before continuing to read.

"—_an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."_

_It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of "Hogwarts High Inquisitor."_

"_This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the 'falling standards' at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."_

_The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

"_I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."_

_Among those "eccentric decisions" are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror "Mad-Eye" Moody._

_Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts._

"_I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward insuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence," said a Ministry insider last night._

_Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts._

"_Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office," said Madam Marchbanks. "This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore." (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17.)_

"Wow," Liza said. "One woman disagrees with Fudge and the newspaper starts a smear campaign the next day."

"So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge!" Hermione said. "Fudge passed this 'Educational Decree' and forced her on us! And now he's given her the power to inspect the other teachers! I can't believe this. It's _outrageous_—"

"I know it is," Harry agreed. Liza nodded. She looked at Ron, who had a smile growing on his face.

"What?" Harry, Hermione, and Liza asked him.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," Ron explained. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."

"Well, come on," Hermione said, standing up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binns's class we don't want to be late…"

There was no need to worry, though. Umbridge wasn't in their History of Magic class, nor was she in their next class, which was Potions. Snape handed back their essays, and Liza found an A written on the top of the page.

"I got an A," Liza said to John, flashing her essay at him. "What did you get?"

"An O," John replied, sounding surprised.

"Is that good?" Liza asked, confused about the grading scale.

"An O is the highest you can get," John replied. "I didn't think that I did that well on this essay, though."

"What's an A then?" Liza asked.

"Well, the passing grades are O, E, and A, in that order," John said. "So you definitely passed."

"The lowest pass, though," Liza said, frowning.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L.," Snape explained, having finished passing out their homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination." He paused, looking around the class, before continuing, "The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

"Some people got _D's_?" Malfoy hissed loudly. "Ha!"

Snape set them to work on their potion for the day, the Strengthening Solution.

"Whoa, be careful," John said about halfway through brewing the potion. Liza froze with her hand over her cauldron. "You have to stir it a bit more before you put that in."

"Oh, right," Liza muttered. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" John asked. Liza sighed.

"Yeah," she answered. "I'm just a little upset with my grade. I know it's silly, but I tried really hard on that essay and I barely passed."

"But you did pass," John said encouragingly. "At least you didn't get a D." Liza gave him a small smile, and he added, "You know, we can work on the next essay together if you want."

"Yeah, okay," Liza agreed.

At the end of the hour, they delivered a sample of their potions up to Snape at the front of the room and packed up their things. John and Liza joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the way to the Great Hall for lunch.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week ,was it?" Hermione asked. "And the homework didn't go too badly either, did it?"

"No, it was okay," Liza answered, although she was the only one who did.

"I mean, all right, I didn't expect the top grade," Hermione continued, "not if he's marking to O.W.L. standard, but a pass is quite encouraging at this stage, wouldn't you say?" Harry and Ron didn't answer again.

"Of course, a lot can happen between now and the exam," Hermione said, "we've got plenty of time to improve, but the grades we're getting now are a sort of baseline aren't they? Something we can build on…" Liza and John exchanged looks as they sat down next to each other at the Gryffindor table.

"Obviously, I'd have been _thrilled_ if I'd gotten an O—" Hermione said.

"Hermione," Ron snapped, "if you want to know what grades we got, ask."

"I don't—I didn't mean—well, if you want to tell me…" Hermione trailed off, looking embarrassed.

"I got an A," Liza offered. "And Mr. Potions over here got an O." She jabbed her thumb at John.

"_You got an O?_" Hermione asked, her eyes wide. John flushed slightly.

"Well, I got a P," Ron snarled, stabbing at his carrots. "Happy?" Liza rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Fred said, joining them along with George and Lee Jordan. "Nothing wrong with a good healthy P." The three boys sat down at the table.

"But doesn't P stand for—" Hermione started.

"'Poor,' yeah," Lee finished for her. "Still, better than a D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?" Harry let out a loud cough, and Liza looked at him quizzically.

"So top grade's O for 'Outstanding,'" Hermione said, "and then there's A—"

"No, E," George corrected, "E for 'Exceeds Expectations.' And I've always thought Fred and I should've got an E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for exams." Everyone laughed except for Hermione.

"So after E, it's A for 'Acceptable,' and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yep," Fred replied.

"Then you get P for 'Poor,'" Ron said, putting his arms up in mock celebration for his grade, "and D for 'Dreadful.'"

"And then T," George said.

"T?" Hermione asked. "Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?"

"'Troll,'" George replied matter-of-factly. Liza snorted.

"You lot had an inspected lesson yet?" Fred asked.

"No," Hermione answered immediately, "have you?"

"Just now, before lunch," George said. "Charms."

"What was it like?" Harry and Hermione asked at the same time. Liza exchanged a glance with John.

"Not that bad," Fred answered, shrugging. "Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard. You know what Flitwick's like, he treated her like a guest, didn't seem to bother him at all. She didn't say much. Asked Alicia a couple of questions about what classes are normally like, Alicia told her they were really good, that was it."

"I can't see old Flitwick getting marked down," George added, "he usually gets everyone through their exams all right."

"Who've you got this afternoon?" Fred asked, looking at Harry.

"Trelawney," Harry answered.

"A T if I ever saw one," Fred said, and Liza laughed.

"And Umbridge herself," Harry finished.

"Well, be a good boy and keep your temper with Umbridge today," George said. "Angelina'll do her nut if you miss any more Quidditch practices."

After lunch they all parted ways for class. Harry and Ron headed off to Divination, and Hermione and Liza went off to Arithmancy.

Umbridge was not in Hermione's and Liza's Arithmancy class, and Professor Vector let them go at the end of the hour with another long essay. The girls went down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and met up with the boys, who were quick to tell them about how Umbridge had been in their Divination class.

"She _demanded_ that Trelawney predict something for her," Harry told the girls in a hushed voice as they entered the classroom. "And of course Trelawney couldn't predict anything but Umbridge insisted, so Trelawney told her that she was in grave danger. It was obvious that Umbridge didn't believe her."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Umbridge had called the class to attention.

"Wands away," she told them, a wide smile on her face. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, 'Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation.' There will be no need to talk." Liza flipped her book open to chapter two, gazing down at the text on the page for a few minutes before noticing that Hermione had her hand in the air.

Umbridge noticed a few minutes later, and she came over to Hermione this time instead of calling on her from the front of the room.

"What is it this time, Miss Granger?" she asked quietly.

"I've already read chapter two," Hermione replied in a normal voice so the class could hear her.

"Well then, proceed to chapter three," Umbridge simpered.

"I've read that too," Hermione said. "I've read the whole book." Liza tried very hard not to laugh out loud at the surprised look on Umbridge's face.

"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen," she said.

"He says that counterjinxes are improperly named," Hermione recited. "He says 'counterjinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable." Umbridge raised her eyebrows and when she didn't say anything, Hermione added, "But I disagree."

"You disagree?" Umbridge repeated, surprised.

"Yes, I do," Hermione replied. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"Oh, you do, do you?" Umbridge said. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

"I think Hermione's just trying to start a discussion," Liza said before she could stop herself. "Isn't that part of the point of class?"

"That is enough," Umbridge snapped. She moved back to the front of the class and stood in front of them all before saying, "Miss Granger, Miss Jones, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House." Liza's jaw dropped open.

"What for?" Harry asked.

"Don't you get involved!" Hermione hissed across the aisle, and Liza shot him a glare as well.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Umbridge replied. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them—with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects—would have passed a Ministry inspection."

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," Harry said sarcastically, "there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head." Liza snorted, but she was the only one to do so. Everyone else was completely silent.

"I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "And a further five points from Gryffindor for you, Miss Jones." Liza rolled her eyes.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Angelina stomped over to Harry at breakfast, looking very upset. She began to yell at him, causing so much disruption that Professor McGonagall had to come over to get her to stop.

"Miss Johnson, how _dare_ you make such a racket in the Great Hall!" she scolded. "Five points from Gryffindor!"

"But Professor—he's gone and landed himself in detention _again_," Angelina said, pointing at Harry.

"What's this, Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at him. "Detention? From whom?"

"From Professor Umbridge," Harry replied in a low voice, looking at his feet.

"Are you telling me," Professor McGonagall started, "that after the warning I gave you last Monday you lost your temper in Professor Umbridge's class again?"

"Yes," Harry replied.

"Potter, you must get a grip on yourself!" Professor McGonagall said. "You are heading for serious trouble! Another five points from Gryffindor!"

"But—what?" Harry asked. "Professor, no! I'm already being punished by _her_, why do you have to take points as well?"

"Because detentions do not appear to have any effect on you whatsoever!" Professor McGonagall insisted. "No, not another word of complaint, Potter! And as for you, Miss Johnson, you will confine your shouting matches to the Quidditch pitch in future or risk losing your team Captaincy!" Professor McGonagall and Angelina both left then, after Angelina gave Harry a withering look.

"She's taken points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every night!" Harry complained. "How is that fair, _how_?"

"I know, mate," Ron replied, "she's bang out of order." Liza and Hermione exchanged a glance before Hermione lifted her paper up in front of her face.

"You think McGonagall was right, do you?" Harry asked, sounding upset.

"Of course she's right!" Liza said exasperatedly. "She's told you, Hermione's told you, I've told you, _you need to control your temper_. I know Umbridge is a nightmare, I can't stand her either, but you need to stop getting into trouble because she's reporting _directly to Fudge_. Do you know how much she could be telling the Ministry about you?" Harry glowered at his breakfast.

Harry didn't say much throughout Charms, but when the Gryffindors got to Transfiguration later that day, they found Umbridge standing in the room with her clipboard.

"Excellent," Ron whispered. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves." Liza smiled, turning her attention to Professor McGonagall, who was striding to the front of the room.

"That will do," she said, and the class quieted. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework—Miss Brown, please take this box of mice—don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you—and hand one to each student." Seamus took the pile of homework and Lavender took the box of mice from Professor McGonagall.

"_Hem, hem_," Umbridge fake-coughed from her corner of the room, but Professor McGonagall ignored her. Liza received her essay from Seamus and was happy to see an E written at the top of the page. She pushed her essay over to Hermione so she could see.

"Very nice," Hermione commented, nodding, as she accepted a mouse from Lavender.

"Come on, let's see that O," Liza teased, and Hermione let Liza see her paper, smiling proudly.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely," Professor McGonagall said as Dean and Lavender returned to their seats. "Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention—most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be—"

"_Hem, hem_," Umbridge said again, louder this time.

"_Yes_?" Professor McGonagall asked impatiently, rounding on the other professor.

"I was just wondering, Professor," Umbridge began, "whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspect—"

"Obviously I received it," Professor McGonagall interrupted, "or I would have asked what you were doing in my classroom." She turned back to the class and continued, "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell—"

"_Hem, hem_." Professor McGonagall turned back to Umbridge once again, looking furious.

"I wonder how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me?" she asked. "You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking." Liza struggled to repress a snort. Umbridge stared at Professor McGonagall before beginning to write something down on her clipboard.

"As I was saying," Professor McGonagall said, turning back to the class, "the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So—you know the incantation, let me see what you can do…"

The Gryffindors spent the rest of the hour attempting to vanish their mice. Hermione was, of course, the first one to be able to vanish her mouse, and by the end of the hour, Liza had managed to as well. About half their classmates had achieved their goal as well, while some people had random parts of their mice left. At the end of class, they all packed up and headed for the door, but Harry stopped Ron, Liza and Hermione. They looked to the front of the room, where Umbridge had approached Professor McGonagall.

"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked.

"Thirty-nine years this December," Professor McGonagall replied.

"Very well," Umbridge said, making a note on her clipboard, "you will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

"I can hardly wait," Professor McGonagall said dryly. She finished collecting her things and started for the door. "Hurry up, you four," she added, shuffling Harry, Ron, Liza, and Hermione out of the room ahead of her.

Next was Care of Magical Creatures, and as the Gryffindors walked down the lawn towards Hagrid's hut, they were surprised to see Umbridge standing next to Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"You do not usually take this class, is that correct?" Umbridge asked Professor Grubbly-Plank as the Gryffindors reached them.

"Quite correct," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied. "I am a substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid." John had joined Liza then, touching her hand gently to let her know that he was standing next to her. Liza gave him a soft smile, but looked behind him when she could hear whispering. Malfoy was muttering to Crabbe and Goyle about something, and she narrowed her eyes at them.

"Hmm," Umbridge said, "I wonder—the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter—can _you_ tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's very extended leave of absence?"

"'Fraid I can't," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied. "Don't know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore, would I like a couple of weeks teaching work, accepted—that's as much as I know. Well…shall I get started then?"

"Yes, please do," Umbridge said. Professor Grubbly-Plank set the students to work, and Umbridge began milling among them, asking them questions instead of simply observing like she had in Transfiguration. After a while, she returned to Professor Grubbly-Plank's side.

"Overall," Umbridge began, "how do you, as a temporary member of staff—an objective outsider, I suppose you might say—how do you find Hogwarts? Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?"

"Oh, yes, Dumbledore's excellent," Professor Grubbly-Plank responded pleasantly. "No, I'm very happy with the way things are run, very happy indeed."

"And what are you planning to cover with this class this year—assuming, of course, that Professor Hagrid does not return?" Umbridge asked, making a few notes on her clipboard.

"Oh, I'll take them through the creatures that most often come up in O.W.L.," Professor Grubbly-Plank answered. "Not much left to do—they've studied unicorns and nifflers, I thought we'd cover porlocks and kneazles, make sure they can recognize crups and knarls, you know…"

"Well, _you_ seem to know what you're doing, at any rate," Umbridge said, writing something else on her clipboard. Then she turned to Goyle and asked, "Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?"

"That was me," Malfoy spoke up gleefully. "I was slashed by a hippogriff."

"A hippogriff?" Umbridge repeated, sounding intrigued.

"Only because he was too stupid to listen to what Hagrid told him to do," Harry said loudly. Ron, Hermione, and Liza exchanged exasperated glances with one another. Umbridge swiveled slowly on the spot to look at Harry.

"Another night's detention, I think," she said. "Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank, I think that's all I need here. You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days."

"Jolly good," Professor Grubbly-Plank replied, and Umbridge left for the castle.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night, Hermione, Ron, and Liza waited in the common room for Harry to return from his detention with Umbridge. They were sitting in silence, their homework laying forgotten on a nearby table, and it was getting quite late. All the other Gryffindors had gone up to bed.

"We have to do something about this Umbridge business," Hermione said suddenly. She was staring down at a bowl of yellow liquid that she had procured from somewhere, although she wouldn't say what exactly it was.

"What can we do, though?" Liza asked. "Anytime someone tries to stand up to her, she gives them detention or passes another Educational Decree…"

"Maybe we could poison her," Ron said grimly.

Then the portrait hole opened and Harry climbed into the common room. He spotted his friends waiting for him and walked over immediately.

"Here," Hermione said, pushing her bowl of yellow stuff towards him, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained pickled murtlap tentacles, it should help."

"Thanks," he said as he put his hand into the bowl. A look of relief washed over his face, and he sat down in an empty armchair. Crookshanks was quick to jump into his lap.

"I still reckon you should complain about this," Ron muttered.

"No," Harry said.

"McGonagall would go nuts if she knew—" Ron began.

"Yeah, she probably would," Harry interrupted. "And how long d'you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another Decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?" Ron opened his mouth as though he was going to argue, but paused for a moment and then shut it again.

"She's an awful woman," Liza said angrily. "_Awful_."

"You know, I was just saying when you came in…we've got to do something about her," Hermione said.

"I suggested poison," Ron added.

"No…I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defense from her at all," Hermione said.

"Well, what can we do about that?" Liza asked. "It's too late, isn't it? She got the job, she's here to stay, Fudge'll make sure of that…"

"Well," Hermione began. "You know, I was thinking today…" She paused, glancing at Harry before continuing, "I was thinking that—maybe the time's come when we should just—just do it ourselves."

"Do what ourselves?" Harry asked.

"Well—learn Defense Against the Dark Arts ourselves," Hermione clarified.

"Come off it," Ron scoffed. "You want us to do extra work? D'you realize Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only the second week?"

"But this is much more important than homework!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry and Ron had looks of disbelief on their faces, and even Liza felt surprised.

"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework," Ron commented.

"Don't be silly, of course there is!" Hermione insisted. "It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting out there. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year—"

"We can't do much by ourselves," Ron pointed out. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose—"

"No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," Hermione said. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

"If you're talking about Lupin…" Harry trailed off, looking confused.

"No, no, I'm not talking about Lupin," Hermione replied. "He's too busy with the Order and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough."

"Who, then?" Liza asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione sighed, looking Harry dead in the eye. "I'm talking about _you_, Harry." There was a stunned silence, and Liza frowned in thought.

"About me what?" Harry finally asked.

"I'm talking about _you_ teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said. Liza exchanged a thoughtful look with Ron.

"That's an idea," Ron said.

"What's an idea?" Harry questioned.

"You," Ron answered. "Teaching us to do it."

"But…" he trailed off, grinning as though he were waiting for someone to tell them they were just joking. "But I'm not a teacher, I can't…"

"Harry, you're the best in the year at Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione stated.

"Me?" Harry repeated, still looking unconvinced. "No I'm not, you've beaten me in every test—"

"Actually, I haven't," Hermione told him. "You beat me in our third year—the only year we both sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject. But I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Look what you've _done_!"

"How d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"You know what, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron joked.

"Ron," Liza murmured, shaking her head at him. She turned to Harry and said, "First year—you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who."

"But that was luck," Harry said, "that wasn't skill—"

"Second year," Ron cut in, "you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle."

"Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn't turned up I—"

"Third year," Liza continued, "you fought off about a hundred dementors at once."

"You know that was a fluke," Harry said exasperatedly, "if the Time-Turner hadn't—"

"Last year," Ron interrupted again, "you fought off You-Know-Who again—"

"Listen to me!" Harry half-shouted. "Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck—I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I didn't plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help—" Hermione and Ron were exchanging smirks, and Liza could see that Harry was growing upset.

"Harry," she tried to say.

"Don't sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn't I?" he said, staring at Hermione and Ron. "I know what went on, all right? And I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defense Against the Dark Arts. I got through it all because—because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right—but I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing—STOP LAUGHING!" Harry had jumped to his feet, knocking the bowl of murtlap essence to the floor.

"_You don't know what it's like_!" he snarled. "You—none of you—you've never had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorizing a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you know there's nothing between you and dying except your own—your own brain or guts or whatever—like you can think straight when you know you're about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die—they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that—and you three sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up—you just don't get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me—" He stopped abruptly, breathing heavily.

"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," Ron said. "We weren't having a go at Diggory, we didn't—you've got the wrong end of the—" Ron looked at the girls, not knowing what to say.

"You just said it, though, Harry," Liza said. "They don't teach us instinct here at school, but you've got a hell of a lot of instinct when it comes to defending yourself, don't try to deny it. And you have that instinct because you've been put in those situations."

"Don't you see?" Hermione continued. "This…this is exactly why we need you… We need to know what it's r-really like…facing him…facing V-Voldemort." Harry sank back into his armchair, glancing at his bloody hand as he did.

"Well…think about it," Hermione said. "Please?" Harry nodded, and Hermione stood up. "Well, I'm off to bed," she said. "Liza?"

"Right behind you," Liza replied. "Good night," she added to the boys, and she followed Hermione to the girls' staircase.

"Well, that didn't go as well as I'd hoped," Hermione admitted as the girls walked up the stairs. "Do you think he'll go for it?"

"I couldn't tell you one way or the other," Liza replied.

"Do you think it's a good idea, Harry teaching us?" Hermione asked.

"You know, I wasn't so sure at first, but after hearing him say all those things, I think he'd be a great person to do it," Liza answered. "But would it just be the four of us? I mean, I'm sure other students would be interested in this."

"If Harry is even interested in doing this, it'd be up to him," Hermione said. "I wouldn't want to overwhelm him."

"We could have our own little club," Liza said, amused. "Our own little defense club. How do you think Umbridge would react if she found out about it, though?"

"We'll just have to keep quiet about it around her," Hermione decided. The girls had reached their dormitory. Hermione pushed the door open and they quietly entered the room; Lavender and Parvati were already asleep.

"We can talk about it more in the morning," Hermione whispered after she and Liza had gotten into their beds. "Good night, Liza."

"Night, 'Mione," Liza returned.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: The DA is my favorite.**_


	12. Chapter 12 The Rebellious Plan

_**A/N: So I've gone through all four of the previous stories and finished tweaking them. I'm sorry it's taken me a while to get back to writing this story, but I'm still working on it, I promise! There are still 20 planned chapters of this story, so I've got a ways to go.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 12 – The Rebellious Plan**

Liza and Hermione decided to leave Harry alone for a few weeks to let the idea of him teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts sink in. Meanwhile, they decided to ask around and see if anyone else would be interested in learning from Harry.

Two weeks later, as they were sitting in the library, Hermione cleared her throat.

"I was wondering whether you'd thought any more about Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry," she said. Liza sat up straighter, pushing her Potions textbook away from her.

"'Course I have," Harry replied. "Can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us—"

"I meant the idea we had—" Hermione stopped as Ron shook his head hastily. "Oh, all right, the idea Liza and I had, then—about you teaching us." Harry avoided the question for a moment, turning a page in his Potions book.

"Well," he answered slowly after a moment, "yeah, I—I've thought about it a bit."

"And?" Liza pressed.

"I dunno," Harry mumbled. He looked over at Ron.

"I thought it was a good idea from the start," Ron said. Liza rolled her eyes at him.

"You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?" Harry asked, looking at the three of them in turn.

"Yes, Harry," Liza said, "but all the same, there's no pretending that you're not good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, because you are."

"You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely," Hermione continued, "you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said—"

"Yeah?" Ron said suddenly, whipping his head around to look at Hermione. "What did Vicky say?"

"Ho ho," Hermione replied. "He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang."

"You're not still in contact with him, are you?" Ron asked.

"So what if I am?" Hermione shot back, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "I can have a pen pal if I—"

"He didn't only want to be your pen pal," Ron grumbled.

"Shut up, Ron," Liza said.

"Well, what do you think?" Hermione turned back to Harry. "Will you teach us?"

"Just you, Liza, and Ron, yeah?" Harry asked.

"Well," Hermione said warily. "Well…now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please… But I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort—oh, don't be pathetic, Ron—it doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people."

"Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you three would want to be taught by me," Harry said. "I'm a nutter, remember?"

"I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you've got to say," Liza said.

"Look," Hermione said, leaning in towards the others and lowering her voice, "you know the first weekend in October's a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who's interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?"

"Why do we have to do it outside school?" Ron asked.

"Because I don't think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to," Hermione answered.

**~LJ:NK~**

As the Hogsmeade weekend approached, Liza and Hermione let those interested in being taught by Harry that they were having a first meeting in Hogsmeade.

"Bad news," John said as he sat with down at the Gryffindor table one day at lunch. Liza and Hermione had been eating alone, and they both looked up worriedly at him. "Jake and Rhonda aren't interested in the Defense Against the Dark Arts thing."

"What?" Liza asked, furrowing her brows. "Why? Do they like Umbridge?"

"No, they think she's a lousy teacher," John said reassuringly. "They just don't really care about learning it. They think they'll be fine for the O.W.L.s."

"They're not going to mention this to Umbridge, are they?" Hermione asked, looking concerned.

"No," John was quick to answer. "Neither of them have any interest in helping her out."

"They believe Harry and Dumbledore, don't they?" Liza questioned.

"Yes, they know what's going on," John replied. "I think they don't want to get caught up in anything that would get them in trouble. But Mary's going to come with me."

"Oh, good," Liza said. "I think it's important to have some Slytherins around, as well. We have to stop encouraging each other to alienate your house." John smiled at her.

A few days later, Liza was sitting with Hermione, Harry, and Ron in the common room when Harry voiced his concerns about Sirius showing up at Hogsmeade.

"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to get out and about," Ron said. "I mean, he's been on the run for over two years, hasn't he, and I know that can't have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn't he? And now he's just shut up all the time with that lunatic elf." Hermione gave Ron a very dark look.

"The trouble is, until V-Voldemort—oh for heaven's _sake_, Ron—comes out into the open, Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn't he?" she said. "I mean, the stupid Ministry isn't going to realize Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore's been telling the truth about him all along. And once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again it'll be obvious Sirius isn't one… I mean, he hasn't got the Mark, for one thing."

"I don't think he's going to be stupid enough to show up," Liza said hopefully. "Dumbledore would be so angry if Sirius was spotted, and Sirius always listens to Dumbledore, even when he doesn't want to." Harry looked unconvinced.

"Listen, Liza and I have been sounding out people who we thought might want to learn some proper Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said, "and there are a couple who seem interested. We've told them to meet us in Hogsmeade."

"Right," Harry said, sounding distracted.

"Don't worry, Harry," Liza said. "You've got enough on your plate without Sirius too."

**~LJ:NK~**

Hogsmeade weekend had finally arrived. It was a bright, windy morning, and after breakfast, Liza, Ron, Harry, and Hermione lined up in the Entrance Hall to leave the castle. Filch was checking to make sure everyone had permission, and when Harry reached him, Filch sniffed at him before letting him move on.

"Er—why was Filch sniffing you?" Ron asked as the four of them began the walk down to Hogsmeade.

"I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs," Harry replied, chuckling. "I forgot to tell you…" Then he told them that when he sent his letter to Sirius, Filch had burst in, thinking that Harry was ordering Dungbombs. Liza and Ron laughed when he finished, but Hermione was frowning in thought.

"He said he was tipped off you were ordering Dungbombs?" she asked. "But who had tipped him off?"

"I dunno," Harry answered. "Maybe Malfoy, he'd think it was a laugh."

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated. "Well…yes…maybe…"

They reached the village and started to walk down High Street.

"Where are we going anyway?" Harry spoke up. "The Three Broomsticks?"

"Oh—no," Hermione answered, "no, it's always packed and really noisy. We've told the others to meet us in the Hog's Head, that other pub, you know the one, it's not on the main road. I think it's a bit…you know…_dodgy_…but students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be overheard." Hermione led the way down High Street and then down a side street. At the end of the side street was the small building they were looking for.

"Well, come on," Hermione said, sounding anxious. Liza pushed the door open, and the four of them went inside.

The inside of the bar was small and dark. The windows and floor were very dirty, and there was a strange smell about the place. There were a few people sitting around, and most of them had their heads and faces covered.

"I don't know about this, Hermione," Harry murmured as they walked over to the bar. "Has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?" Liza looked at the woman in the corner, who was veiled; only the tip of her nose was visible.

"Umbridge is shorter than that woman," Hermione replied. "And anyway, even if Umbridge _does_ come in here there's nothing she can do to stop us, Harry, because I've double- and triple-checked the school rules. We're not out-of-bounds, I specifically asked Professor Flitwick whether students were allowed to come in the Hog's Head, and he said yes, but he advised me strongly to bring our own glasses. And I've looked up everything I can think of about study groups and homework groups and they're definitely allowed. I just don't think it's a good idea if we _parade_ what we're doing."

"No, especially as it's not exactly a homework group you're planning, is it?" Harry said slyly. The barman then entered the room, standing behind the bar.

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"Four butterbeers, please," Hermione said. The man pulled four bottles out from under the counter.

"Eight Sickles," he grunted.

"I'll get them," Harry said, quickly handing over the Sickles. The man looked at Harry for a brief moment before taking the money and throwing it into the wooden register. Harry led the way over to a table on the other side of the room.

"You know what?" Ron said quietly. "We could order anything we liked in here, I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn't care. I've always wanted to try firewhisky—"

"You—are—a—_prefect_," Hermione said.

"Besides, you can have firewhisky in a few years when you're of age," Liza added, shaking her head.

"Oh," Ron said. "Yeah…"

"So who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Harry asked. Liza and Hermione exchanged a glance.

"Just a couple of people," Hermione said vaguely. "We told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is—oh look, this might be them now—"

Neville and Dean entered first, followed by Lavender. Liza was still surprised that Lavender had been interested in learning from Harry after what Lavender had said at the beginning of the year. Next came Parvati and Padma Patil, who were followed by Cho Chang and one of her friends. Luna Lovegood came in next, followed by the three Gryffindor Chasers: Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson. Colin Creevey bounded in eagerly, and he was followed by a group of Hufflepuffs: Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones. Then Ginny entered with her boyfriend Michael Corner and two other Ravenclaw boys, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot. Another Hufflepuff boy came in next, and Liza wasn't sure who he was. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan then joined them, followed by John and his friend Mary.

"Hey," Liza said as John walked up to her. "Glad you could make it. Hi, Mary." She smiled, and Mary grinned back.

"A couple of people?" Harry hissed at Hermione and Liza, who turned back to her brother. "A _couple of people_?"

"Yeah, well, the idea seemed popular," Liza said, shrugging. "Should we pull up some more chairs?" The other Hogwarts students were milling around the room. Many of them headed for the bar.

"Hi," Fred said to the bartender, who seemed frozen in shock at all the customers. "Could we have…twenty-six butterbeers, please?" The barman stared at them all for a moment before ducking down and pulling bottles out from behind the bar.

"Cheers," Fred said, passing the bottles out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these…" Everyone passed over a couple Sickles to pay for their butterbeers. Meanwhile, Harry turned back to Hermione and Liza.

"What have you been telling people?" he asked. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," Hermione replied. Harry just glared at her, and said quickly continued, "You don't have to do anything yet, one of us will speak to them first."

"Hi, Harry," Neville said, sitting down in front of them. Everyone else took seats as well, and soon everyone was gathered around the table. They all looked at Harry, but Hermione cleared her throat.

"Er," she began, sounding nervous. "Well—er—hi." She glanced at Liza, who smiled.

"Well, you know why we're here," Liza took over for Hermione. "Hermione and I had this idea that we needed to take matter into our own hands when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "because, you know, nobody can call that rubbish Umbridge is doing with us as Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Hear, hear," Anthony Goldstein spoke up, holding his butterbeer up. Others murmured their agreement, as well.

"And by taking matters into our own hands," Liza continued, "we mean learning how to defend ourselves properly. You know, not just the theory, but the actual spells."

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" Michael Corner asked.

"Of course we do," Hermione said. "But we want more than that, we want to be properly trained in Defense because…because…" She had to take a breath before finishing, "Because Lord Voldemort's back." Many of the students reacted to the name, but they all gazed at Harry expectantly.

"Well, that's the plan anyway," Liza said, shrugging. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to—"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" the Hufflepuff boy who Liza didn't know interrupted. Liza narrowed her eyes at him.

"Excuse me, I was talking," she said coldly. "Besides, Dumbledore believes he's back."

"You mean, Dumbledore believes _him_," the Hufflepuff said.

"Who are _you_?" Ron spoke up.

"Zacharias Smith," the boys replied, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes _him_ say You-Know-Who's back."

"That's not what this meeting's about, you know," Liza said, fighting to keep her voice even.

"It's okay, Liza," Harry said suddenly. He looked around at them all before looking Zacharias in the eye. "What makes me say You-Know-Who's back? I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts," Zacharias said. "He didn't give us the details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know—"

"Use your imagination, dumbass," Liza cut in.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said, and Liza could hear the anger underneath his voice. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out." Harry finally tore his eyes away from the Hufflepuff to look at Hermione and Liza. There was silence, but nobody moved from their chairs.

"So," Hermione began again, sounding anxious again. "So…like we were saying…if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to—"

Is it true that you can produce a Patronus?" Susan Bones asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"A corporeal Patronus?" Susan asked. Harry looked at her curiously.

"Er—you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he questioned. Susan smiled.

"She's my auntie," she replied. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So—is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"Blimey, Harry!" Lee Jordan exclaimed. "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred said. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," Harry said quietly, but a few people laughed.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot asked. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year…"

"Er—yeah, I did, yeah," Harry said. Justin Finch-Fletchley let out a low whistle, and Lavender whispered, "Wow."

"And in our first year, he saved that Sorcerous Stone," Neville said.

"Sorcerer's," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," Neville said.

"And that's not to mention all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year," Cho piped up, "getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things…" Liza glanced at Harry, who seemed like he was trying to not look too pleased with himself.

"Look," he said as the crowd quieted again, "I…I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but…I had a lot of help with all that stuff…"

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," Michael commented. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying…"

"Yeah, well—" Harry said.

"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," Susan added.

"No," Harry said, "no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is—"

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" Zacharias asked.

"Here's an idea," Ron snapped, "why don't you shut your mouth?" Zacharias flushed slightly.

"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," he said.

"That's not what he said," Liza said.

"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" George asked, pulling out a metal pole from inside one of his Zonko's bags.

"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," Fred added. Liza snorted, and Fred winked at her.

"Yes, well," Hermione cut in, "moving on…the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?" Nobody protested, and Hermione looked much happier.

"Right," she began. "Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week—"

"Hang on," Angelina said, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice.

"No, nor with ours," Cho said.

"Nor ours," Zacharias echoed.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione said, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters—"

"Well said!" Ernie said. "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!" He paused to see if anyone was going to say anything, but when nobody did, he continued, "I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells—"

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Liza informed them, "is that she's got some wild idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd use us to fight against the Ministry."

"Well, that makes sense," Luna said. "After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."

"What?" Harry asked, looking bewildered.

"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," Luna explained.

"No, he hasn't," Hermione sighed.

"Yes, he has," Luna insisted.

"What are heliopaths?" Neville asked, looking confused.

"They're spirits of fire," Luna answered. "Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of—"

"They don't exist, Neville," Hermione said firmly.

"Oh yes they do!" Luna exclaimed, looking upset.

"I'm sorry, but where's the _proof_ of that?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts," Luna replied hotly, "just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you—"

"_Hem, hem_." Everyone jumped, but when they realized that it had been Ginny imitating Umbridge, they laughed.

"Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and get Defense lessons?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Hermione said, "yes, we were, you're right…"

"Well, once a week sounds cool," Lee said.

"As long as—" Angelina began.

"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," Liza said, shaking her head. "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're goin to meet…" There was silence as they group pondered on where they could meet.

"Library?" Katie Bell spoke up after a few minutes.

"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library," Harry said.

"Maybe an unused classroom?" Dean suggested.

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "McGonagall might let us have hers, she did when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard…"

"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," Hermione said. "We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting." Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill. "I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she paused to take a breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge—or anybody else—what we're up to." Fred and George were the first to eagerly sign their names.

"Er…" Zacharias said, looking wary. "Well…I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is." But many of the others were looking uncertain as well, including Ernie.

"I—well, we are _prefects_," Ernie said when Hermione gave him a look. "And if this list was found…well, I mean to say…you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out…"

"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Liza pointed out flatly.

"I—yes," Ernie said, flustered, "yes, I do believe that, it's just…"

"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" Hermione asked.

"No. No, of course not," Ernie said. He took a breath and said, "I—yes, of course I'll sign it." After him, everyone else signed—even Zacharias. Hermione took the parchment and slid it back inside her bag.

"Well, time's ticking on," Fred spoke up after a moment. "George, Lee, and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later." The rest of the student started to leave as well, until it was just Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza left. John and Mary were the last ones to go, after John kissed Liza and promised to meet her the next day in the library for their study date.

"Well, I think that went quite well," Hermione said cheerfully as the four of them left the Hog's Head. Harry and Ron were still carrying their bottles of butterbeer.

"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," Ron said bluntly.

"I don't like him much either," Liza agreed.

"He overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say?" Hermione said defensively. "But the more people the better really—I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny—" Ron choked on the last of his butterbeer, dribbling it down his shirt.

"He's WHAT?" he asked, clearly incensed at the idea that someone was dating his sister. "She's going out with—my sister's going—what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"

"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think," Hermione explained. "Well, they're obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on—"

"When did this—when did she—?" Ron sputtered.

"They met at the Yule Ball and they got together at the end of last year," Liza supplied. They had reached High Street. Hermione stopped outside the quill shop and gazed at the quills in the front window.

"Hmm… I could do with a new quill," she murmured. She led the other three into the shop.

"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron asked.

"The dark one," Liza replied.

"I didn't like him," Ron stated.

"Big surprise," Liza scoffed.

"But I thought Ginny fancied Harry!" Ron insisted as the other three followed Hermione around the shop.

"Ginny _used_ to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago," Liza replied. "Not that she doesn't _like_ you, of course." Harry shrugged, not seeming at all upset that Ginny no longer had a crush on him.

"So that's why she talks now?" he asked. "She never used to talk in front of me."

"Exactly," Liza said, nodding.

"Yes, I think I'll have this one…" Hermione said, picking up one of the quills. She went to the front of the shop and paid for it, the other three still trailing along after her. Ron was still grumbling under his breath.

"Ron, this is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's seeing Michael," Liza said impatiently, "she knew you'd take it badly. So don't harp on about it, for Merlin's sake."

"What d'you mean, who's taking anything badly?" Ron seethed. "I'm not going to _harp on_ about anything…" Liza exchanged a glance with Hermione, who then turned to Harry.

"And talking about Michael and Ginny…what about Cho and you?" Hermione asked.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, his cheeks glowing red.

"Well, she just couldn't keep her _eyes_ off you, could she?" Hermione replied slyly. Harry looked away, and Hermione and Liza grinned at the back of his head.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: Like I said above, 20 more planned chapters. Hopefully my writer's block will go away for a while now!**_


	13. Chapter 13 Sirius Risks Too Much

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 13 – Sirius Risks Too Much**

The rest of the weekend past quickly. On Sunday, rather than going to the library, John and Liza joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione outside to enjoy the sunshine. Harry and Ron spent the day doing homework while Hermione knitted some more clothing for the house-elves.

Liza and John laid on the lawn together a few feet away, soaking up the sunshine. Liza cuddled up into John's side, his arm around her shoulders.

Because of the wonderful Sunday Liza had, when she woke up on Monday, she felt cheerful. She and Hermione got dressed and opened their dormitory door to go downstairs when they noticed the stairs had turned into a slide.

"I wonder which boy tried to get up the stairs," Liza commented. Hermione shrugged and then slid down on the slide. Liza followed her.

"It's not fair!" they heard Ron's voice as they neared the bottom of the slide. "Hermione and Liza are allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed—?"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," Hermione explained as she got off the floor. Liza had just landed behind her, and she also got to her feet. "It says in _Hogwarts, A History_ that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls. Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you—look at this!" Ron exclaimed. He took hold of the girls' wrists and pulled them over to the notice board, where a new sign had been hung up.

_By Order Of  
>The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts<em>

_All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.  
>An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.<br>Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).  
>No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.<br>Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Twenty-four._

_Signed:_

_Dolores Jane Umbridge_

_High Inquisitor_

Liza's jaw dropped open as she read it. When she was finished, she looked at Harry and Ron in horror.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said.

"They can't have done," Hermione replied, her expression hard.

"You're so naïve," Ron accused, "you think just because you're all honorable and trustworthy—"

"No, they can't have done because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," Hermione replied. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

"Wow," Liza breathed.

"What'll happen to them?" Ron asked.

"Well, put it this way," Hermione answered, "it'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think… I wonder whether this has been put up in all the houses?"

"I'm sure it has," Liza said. The four of them headed down to the Great Hall where it was made obvious that everyone had seen the new decree. As soon as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza had sat down, Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny swooped down on them.

"Did you see it?" Dean asked.

"D'you reckon she knows?" Fred asked.

"What are we going to do?" Neville asked.

Everyone looked at Harry, who checked to be sure there were no professors nearby.

"We're going to do it anyway, of course," Harry said in a low voice.

"Knew you'd say that," George said, clapping Harry on the arm.

"The prefects as well?" Fred asked, looking at Hermione and Ron.

"Of course," Hermione answered.

"I would hope so, it was partially Hermione's idea anyway," Liza chuckled.

"Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbot," Ron reported, looking around. "_And_ those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith…and no one looks very spotty." Hermione looked up.

"Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious!" Hermione hissed. "Sit down!" she mouthed at them. "Later! We'll—talk—to—you—_later_!"

"I'll tell Michael," Ginny said, standing up. "The fool, honestly…" She went over to the Ravenclaw table. The Hufflepuffs also turned and went back to their own table.

After breakfast as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza were leaving the Great Hall, a yell stopped them in their tracks.

"Harry! _Ron!_" It was Angelina, who was looking very upset.

"It's okay," Harry assured her when she was near enough. "We're still going to—"

"You realize she's including Quidditch in this?" Angelina shrieked. "We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!"

"_What_?" Harry asked.

"No way," Ron breathed.

"You read the sign, it mentions teams too!" Angelina said. "So listen, Harry…I am saying this for the last time… Please, _please_ don't lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!"

"Okay, okay," Harry said. "Don't worry, I'll behave myself…" Angelina, looking on the verge of tears, nodded. The other four left the Great Hall and crossed the Entrance Hall.

"Bet Umbridge is in History of Magic," Ron said. "She hasn't inspected Binns yet… Bet you anything she's there…"

But she wasn't. Professor Binns began the lecture, and the Gryffindors were sunk into their usual stupor. Liza gazed out the window, trying to think of a way they could continue their little defense group without getting caught by Umbridge when an owl landed on the window's ledge outside. Surprised, Liza tapped on Hermione's arm.

"Look," she whispered. "It's Hedwig." Hermione immediately looked to the window. Hedwig was staring at Harry, but Harry hadn't noticed her. So Hermione leaned over and poked Harry in the side.

"_What_?" Harry hissed. Hermione pointed at the window, and Harry finally looked up. Then he glanced to the front of the room, where Professor Binns was still droning on about giants. Harry slid out of his seat, crouching down, and side-stepped over to the window. He opened the window very slowly, and Hedwig immediately hopped onto his shoulder. Harry shut the window and went back to his seat; Professor Binns still hadn't noticed that nobody was paying attention. Harry pulled Hedwig into his lap.

"She's hurt!" he whispered to his friends. Liza looked over and saw that one of Hedwig's wings was bent at a funny angle. "Look—there's something wrong with her wing—" He tried to touch the wing, but Hedwig jumped.

"Professor Binns," Harry called, stopping the ghost professor mid-sentence. "I'm not feeling well."

"Not feeling well?" Professor Binns echoed, almost sounding confused.

"Not at all well," Harry replied. He stood up, holding Hedwig behind his back. "So I think I'll need to go to the hospital wing."

"Yes," Professor Binns said. "Yes…yes, hospital wing…well, off you go, then, Perkins…" Harry turned and left the room. Liza and Ron were both thoroughly distracted for the last few minutes of class, wanting to know what had happened to Hedwig, and when the bell finally rang, they shot up out of their seats. After grabbing Harry's things, Liza, Ron, and Hermione went out into one of the courtyards.

"What do you think happened that injured Hedwig?" Ron asked as they came to a stop in one of the corners. "I mean, she's never been hurt before, has she? Do you think maybe another animal attacked her?"

"Maybe," Hermione said. "But…what if it wasn't an animal? What if Hedwig was intercepted by someone? Remember how Moody and the others kept telling us to be careful what we put in writing in case it's intercepted?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if that happened," Liza said. "I bet you anything Umbridge has been reading people's mail if she can get her hands on it. The Ministry is so obsessed with trying to control the school these days…"

A few minutes later, they saw Harry walking over to them, a bit of parchment in his hands.

"Is Hedwig okay?" Hermione asked immediately as Harry neared them. Liza handed over Harry's bag.

"Where did you take her?" Ron added.

"To Grubbly-Plank," Harry replied. "And I met McGonagall… Listen… Grubbly-Plank reckons something must have attacked her, and McGonagall asked me how far Hedwig had traveled. I told her London, and she knew right away what that meant. Then after Grubbly-Plank had gone, McGonagall told me that all communications in and out of Hogwarts are possibly being watched." Liza exchanged looks with Ron and Hermione. "What?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was just saying…what if someone had tried to intercept Hedwig?" Hermione explained. "I mean, she's never been hurt on a flight before, has she?"

"Who's the letter from anyway?" Ron asked.

"Snuffles," Harry replied, handing over the slip of parchment. Ron took it, and Liza read it over his shoulder.

_Today, same time, same place._

"'Same time, same place'?" Ron read. "Does he mean the fire in the common room?" Ron passed the note over to Hermione.

"Obviously," Liza said. "I just hope nobody else has read this…"

"But it was still sealed and everything," Harry was quick to say. "And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn't know where we'd spoken to him before, would they?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "It wouldn't be exactly difficult to reseal the scroll by magic… And if anyone's watching the Floo Network…but I don't really see how we can warn him not to come without _that_ being intercepted too!"

With that, the four of them trooped down to the dungeon for Potions class. John joined them in the corridor outside the classroom, looking annoyed.

"What's up?" Liza asked immediately.

"Oh, you know," John replied, "Malfoy is just up to his usual business…" The five of them reached the door to the classroom and saw Malfoy standing with a group of Slytherins.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway," he said loudly, "I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry… It'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, won't it?"

"Don't rise," Hermione hissed to Ron and Harry. "It's what he wants…"

"I mean," Malfoy continued, his voice growing louder still, "if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance… From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years… And as for Potter… My father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St. Mungo's…apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic…" Malfoy made a face, and his friends laughed meanly.

Suddenly, someone shot past Liza, and she was surprised to see Neville charging towards Malfoy.

"Neville, _no_!" she shouted. Harry lunged forward and grabbed the back of Neville's robes. Everyone looked shocked to see Neville's desperate attempt to reach Malfoy.

"Help me!" Harry exclaimed, hooking his arm around Neville's neck and pulling him backwards. Ron jumped up immediately and grabbed one of Neville's arm. Liza hurried around him and pushed Neville back, both her hands on his chest. The three of them managed to stop Neville's advance, and in the back of her mind, Liza was amazed at how strong Neville was physically.

"Not…funny…don't…Mungo's…show…him…" he grunted.

"Neville, _stop_," Liza said as he tried to break away from her, Harry, and Ron. The door to the classroom opened, and Snape stepped out into the corridor.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Jones, Longbottom?" he asked. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you." Harry let go, and Neville glared at him, panting.

"I had to stop you," Harry said. "Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart." Neville grabbed his bag, threw it over his shoulder, and stomped away from them. Liza exchanged looks with Hermione and John, who both look speechless.

"What in the name of Merlin was _that_ about?" Ron asked in a low voice as they entered the classroom.

John and Liza went over to their usual table, listening to the class whispering around them. Snape slammed the door shut, and everyone became silent.

"You will notice that we have a guest with us today," Snape began, gesturing to a corner of the room. Umbridge was sitting with her clipboard, surveying the class. "We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today," Snape went on, "you will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend—instructions on the board. Carry on."

Nothing happened for a while. Umbridge sat in her corner, making notes on her clipboard. Liza and John worked on their potions, their knees touching under the table every so often. About half an hour into the class, Umbridge finally stood up and walked over to Snape. Snape did not turn to look at her.

"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," she said. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus." Snape slowly looked around at her, and she asked, "Now…how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Liza stopped working on her potion, looking down at her textbook to make it seem as though she was looking some information up so she could listen in.

"Fourteen years," Snape answered.

"You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Umbridge questioned.

"Yes," Snape replied.

But you were unsuccessful?" Umbridge pressed.

"Obviously," Snape sneered.

"And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?" Umbridge asked.

"Yes," Snape confirmed, looking as though he was clenching his teeth.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" Umbridge asked.

"I suggest you ask him," Snape replied.

"Oh I shall," Umbridge assured him, smiling.

"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked.

"Oh yes," Umbridge replied. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'—er—backgrounds…" With another sickening smile, she swept off to Pansy Parkinson's table to question her about the class. Liza hurriedly went back to work on her potion before Snape noticed that she hadn't been working.

Snape moved over to Harry's cauldron, his nose wrinkled at what was inside it.

"No marks again, then, Potter," he said, waving his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry muttered darkly.

The rest of the class period passed without incident, and when the bell rang, everyone went off to lunch. John joined his Slytherin friends, and Liza, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table in silence as they ate. When they were finished, they went outside once again to get some fresh air.

"Maybe I'll skive off Divination," Harry said suddenly. "I'll pretend to be ill and do Snape's essay instead, then I won't have to stay up half the night…"

"You can't skive off Divination," Hermione scolded.

"Hark who's talking, you walked out of Divination, you hate Trelawney!" Ron said.

"I don't _hate_ her," Hermione argued. "I just think she's an absolutely appalling teacher and a real old fraud… But Harry's already missed History of Magic and I don't think he ought to miss anything else today!"

When it was time for class to start, the boys grudgingly went off to Divination, and Hermione and Liza went to Arithmancy.

"This day just doesn't want to end," Liza complained to Hermione when Arithmancy was over and they were walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts. "This weekend was so nice, and today has just ruined it." Harry and Ron joined them outside of Umbridge's classroom.

"You and Umbridge have got something in common," Harry said to Hermione. "She obviously reckons Trelawney's an old fraud too… Looks like she put her on probation." They entered the classroom and sat down in their usual seats. Umbridge joined them a few minutes later, sweeping up to the front of the room.

"Good afternoon, class," she said, looking smug.

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," the class replied.

"Wands away, please…" Umbridge said, but nobody had bothered to take their wands out. "Please turn to page thirty-four of _Defensive Magical Theory_ and read the third chapter, entitled 'The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack.' There will be—"

"—no need to talk," Liza, Hermione, Harry, and Ron muttered under their breaths.

**~LJ:NK~**

After dinner that night, the four Gryffindors went up to the common room where they met a very glum-looking Angelina.

"No Quidditch practice," she informed Harry and Ron.

"But I kept my temper!" Harry said. "I didn't say anything to her, Angelina, I swear, I—"

"I know, I know," Angelina said, holding her hand up to stop Harry. "She just said she needed a bit of time to consider."

"Consider what?" Ron asked, upset. "She's given the Slytherins permission, why not us?" Angelina shrugged and went off to join her friends.

"Well, look on the bright side," Hermione said, "at least now you'll have time to do Snape's essay!"

"That's a bright side, is it?" Harry asked angrily. "No Quidditch practice and extra Potions?"

"Oh calm down, drama queen," Liza said. "I'm sure that she'll let you guys play Quidditch again. Someone will make her say yes." The four of them found an empty table and sat down with their school things.

Not long after they had started working, Fred and George had gathered a crowd of students around to show off their Puking Pastilles, one of the candies in their Skiving Snackboxes. The twins had recently perfected these candies, and they were showing off to the crowd how they worked. Fred stood in front of a bucket and would eat the orange half of the candy, causing him to vomit immediately. Then he would eat the purple half, which caused the vomiting to stop. George was collecting advanced orders from those who were interested, and Lee Jordan was Vanishing the vomit from Fred's bucket.

Hermione seemed very put-out by the twins' show.

"Just go and stop them, then!" Harry finally burst out, crossing something out on his essay again.

"I can't, they're not _technically_ doing anything wrong," Hermione replied. "They're quite within their rights to eat the foul things themselves, and I can't find a rule that says the other idiots aren't entitled to buy them, not unless they're proven to be dangerous in some way, and it doesn't look as though they are…" George took a turn with a Puking Pastille, projectile-vomiting into the bucket before eating the purple candy. He stood up gleefully as the crowd applauded.

"You know, I don't get why Fred and George only got three O.W.L.s each," Liza commented. "They really know their stuff…"

"Oh, they only know flashy stuff that's no real use to anyone," Hermione said dismissively.

"No real use?" Ron repeated. "Hermione, they've got about twenty-six Galleons already…"

But because of the Weasley twins' entertainment, it was a long time before the Gryffindor common room had emptied. Fred, George, and Lee were the last to leave, well after midnight. Fred shook his box of Galleons as they disappeared up the boys' stairs, and Hermione scowled after him.

Ron and Liza were sitting in front of the fire, watching for Sirius, when they heard Harry slamming his potions book shut. Ron, who had almost fallen asleep, jerked upright.

"Sirius!" he croaked. Liza, Harry, and Hermione all jumped up and crammed next to each other in front of the fireplace.

"Hi," Sirius said, smiling at them.

"Hi," the four of them replied. Crookshanks came up to them, trying to get close to Sirius.

"How're things?" Sirius asked. Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and pulled him away from the fire.

"Not that good," Harry answered. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams—"

"—or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups?" Sirius added slyly. The others paused in surprise.

"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," Sirius told them, smirking. "The Hog's Head, I ask you…"

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" Hermione insisted. "That's always packed with people—"

"—which means you'd have been harder to overhear," Sirius finished for her. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

"Who overheard us?" Liza asked, frowning.

"Mundungus, of course," Sirius answered. The four Gryffindors looked at him curiously, and he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil."

"That was Mundungus?" Harry asked. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" Sirius replied. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still be followed?" Harry asked exasperatedly.

"Yeah, you are," Sirius said, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organize an illegal defense group." There was a distinct look of pride on his face.

"Technically it wasn't illegal yet," Liza pointed out, and Sirius barked a laugh.

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" Ron asked. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," Sirius explained, "and that barman's got a good memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately… Anyway… First of all, Ron—I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh yeah?" Ron asked.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group," Sirius stated. "She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also," Sirius continued, looking at the other three, "advises Harry, Hermione, and Liza not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

"On duty doing what?" Ron questioned.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," Sirius answered loftily. "So it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defense group?" Ron asked after a moment, looking downcast.

"Me? Certainly not!" Sirius exclaimed. "I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" Harry asked.

"Of course I do!" Sirius replied. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But—last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks—" Harry said indignantly.

"Last year all evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" Sirius said. "This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione spoke up.

"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" Harry said.

"I know it was… I just wondered what Sirius thought," Hermione said.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," Sirius said.

"Hear, hear," Ron and Harry agreed.

"So, how are you organizing this group?" Sirius asked. "Where are you meeting?"

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," Harry said. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go…"

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius asked.

"Hey, that's an idea!" Ron said enthusiastically. Hermione made a noise.

"Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school," Hermione explained, "and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. But there are more than thirty of us and none of us is an Animagus, so we wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee—"

"Fair point," Sirius said, frowning in thought. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere… There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there—"

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," Harry said. "Caved in or something."

"Oh…" Sirius said. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to—" He stopped abruptly, looking anxious.

"Sirius?" Harry asked. Suddenly, Sirius had vanished.

"Sirius!" Liza exclaimed, but he didn't reappear. The four Gryffindors stared into the flames.

"Why did he—?" Harry started, but Hermione jumped up, staring at the fire. The other three turned to see a hand reaching out of the flames, groping around as thought trying to grab something.

Harry, Ron, Liza, and Hermione retreated to the other side of the room, none of them daring to make a sound. They parted ways at the stairs, and Liza followed Hermione up to the girls' dormitory.

"That was far too close," Liza gasped, the image of Umbridge's hand in the fire stuck in her mind.

**~LJ:NK~**


	14. Chapter 14 The DA's First Meeting

_**A/N: This is not a very long chapter, but that's okay.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 14 – The D.A.'s First Meeting**

The next day in Charms class, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Liza huddled together to talk about Umbridge nearly catching Sirius in the fire. They were supposed to be practicing the Silencing Charm, which Liza had been able to do since she was eleven. The room was full of frogs and ravens, croaking and cawing. This, along with the crashing of rain against the windows, was providing a nice cover for the fifth-years' conversation.

"Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry," Hermione said. "There's no other explanation."

"You think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?" Harry asked, looking upset.

"I'm almost certain of it," Hermione replied. "Watch your frog, it's escaping." Harry turned his wand to the frog and muttered "_Accio!_" The frog flew back into Harry's hand.

"I've been suspecting this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs, because it seemed such a stupid lie," Hermione explained quietly. "I mean, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear you _weren't_ ordering them, so you wouldn't have been in trouble at all—it's a bit of a feeble joke, isn't it? But then I thought, what if somebody just wanted an excuse to read your mail? Well then, it would be a perfect way for Umbridge to manage it—tip off Filch, let him do the dirty work and confiscate the letter, then either find a way of stealing it from him or else demand to see it—I don't think Filch would object, when's he ever stuck up for a student's rights? Harry, you're squashing your frog."

Liza reached over and pulled the poor frog out of Harry's grasp.

"Sorry," Harry muttered.

"It was a very, very close call last night," Liza said. "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close it was. _Silencio_!" She pointed her wand at the raven in front of her and silenced it for the third time.

"If she'd caught Snuffles..." Hermione whispered, trailing off.

"He'd probably be back in Azkaban this morning," Harry finished. He waved his wand carelessly at his frog, and it began to inflate and emit a high-pitched whining noise.

"_Silencio_!" Hermione said quickly, pointing her wand at Harry's frog, and it deflated silently. Hermione continued, "Well, he mustn't do it again, that's all. I just don't know how we're going to let him know. We can't send him an owl."

"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," Ron commented. "He's not stupid, he knows she nearly got him. _Silencio_!" The raven in front of him continued to caw. "_Silencio! SILENCIO!_" Instead of becoming silent, the raven got louder.

"It's the way you're moving your wand," Hermione instructed him. "You don't want to wave it, it's more a sharp _jab_."

"Ravens are harder than frogs," Ron grumbled.

"Says who?" Liza asked, glancing at her silent raven.

"Let's swap," Hermione said, pushing her frog towards him and grabbing his raven. "_Silencio!_" She pointed her wand at the raven and it immediately became silent.

"Very good, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick said, surprising them. "Now, let me see you try, Mr. Weasley!"

"Wha—? Oh—oh, right," Ron said. "Er—_Silencio!_" He accidentally poked his frog in the eye with his wand, and the frog hopped off of the table.

Later during break, Angelina caught up to Harry and Ron.

"I've got permission!" she exclaimed, looking ecstatic. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"

"_Excellent_!" Harry and Ron said.

"Yeah," Angelina said. "I went to McGonagall and I _think_ she might have appealed to Dumbledore—anyway, Umbridge had to give in. Ha! So I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right, because we've got to make up time, you realize we're only three weeks away from our first match?"

"See?" Liza said as Angelina moved away again. "I told you someone would make Umbridge let you play." Ron was peering out a window at the gusting rain outside.

"Hope this clears up…" he said. Then he looked at Hermione and asked, "What's up with you, Hermione?" Hermione was also looking out the window, but her eyes were unfocused and she had a look of concentration on her face.

"Just thinking…" she replied slowly.

"About Siri…Snuffles?" Harry corrected.

"No…not exactly…" Hermione answered. "More…wondering…I suppose we're doing the right thing…I think…aren't we?" Harry, Ron, and Liza exchanged glances.

"Well, that clears that up," Ron said sarcastically. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly." Liza for once agreed with Ron.

"I was just wondering," Hermione said, "whether we're doing the right thing, starting this Defense Against the Dark Arts group."

"What!" Harry, Ron, and Liza cried.

"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" Ron added exasperatedly.

"I know," Hermione said. "But after talking to Snuffles…"

"But he's all for it!" Harry said.

"Yes," Hermione said. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all…"

"Hermione, come _on_," Liza said. "You can't seriously be rethinking this plan just because Snuffles is on board."

There was a break in the conversation as Peeves floated by above them. They lifted their bags over their heads in case he was going to drop something on them. The poltergeist moved on, and the four fifth-years put their bags back down.

"Let's get this straight," Harry said, continuing their conversation. "Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it anymore?"

"Do you honestly trust his judgment?" Hermione asked, not looking at any of them.

"Yes, I do!" Harry exclaimed. "He's always given us great advice!"

They were interrupted again when Peeves swooped down and spat an ink pellet at Katie Bell. Katie jumped up and started to throw things at the poltergeist. Liza sniggered slightly before turning back to her friends.

"You don't think he has become…sort of…reckless…since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place?" Hermione asked. "You don't think he's…kind of…living through us?"

"What d'you mean, 'living through us'?" Harry asked, frowning deeply.

"I mean…well, I think he'd love to be forming secret defense societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry…" Hermione replied. "I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is…so I think he's keen to kind of…egg us on."

"Sirius is right," Ron spoke up, "you _do_ sound just like my mother."

"She's got a point, though," Liza said. "Remember when you first came to Grimmauld Place, Harry? Sirius told you that he would have loved to have a struggle to the death against a dementor after the summer he'd been having…"

The bell rang then, and Peeves upturned an entire ink bottle over Katie's head.

**~LJ:NK~**

Hermione and Liza decided to go to bed early that night, so they didn't see Ron or Harry when they were finished with Quidditch practice. The next morning at breakfast, however, Harry was quick to tell them about his encounter with Dobby.

"Dobby came to visit you last night?" Liza asked, smiling.

"Sort of," Harry replied. "He says that none of the other house-elves will clean our common room anymore because of Hermione's hats and socks—"

"See what you did, Hermione?" Ron butted in. "Now Dobby's working that much harder to clean our common room by himself!"

"Stop it," Liza intervened immediately before Hermione could retort. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at Ron but staying quiet.

"_Listen_," Harry hissed, annoyed that he kept getting interrupted. "Dobby asked if there was anything he could do to help me, and I told him we were looking for a place where thirty-some people could practice Defense Against the Dark Arts without being found out. And he did! He told me about this room, it's called the Room of Requirement, a room that only appears if someone really needs it. Like if you really needed to go to the toilet, it would become a bathroom. Dobby also said that very few people know about the room because most people just stumble across it accidentally and then can never find it again. It sounds brilliant, doesn't it?"

"So theoretically it could become a large classroom for us?" Liza asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered, looking exciting. "Dobby told me exactly where and how to find it. I figured that maybe we could have our first meeting tonight!"

"Tonight?" Hermione repeated. "Shouldn't we at least figure out if this room exists before trying to get everyone together?"

"We need to stop delaying," Harry responded. "If it's still raining, there won't be any Quidditch practice tonight, it's the perfect opportunity. We'll go early to make sure we can get into the room, and if something goes wrong, we'll just send people back to their common rooms."

"So when are we going to meet tonight?" Liza asked. "We need to pick a time."

"Let's say eight o'clock," Harry said. "Agreed? Once we find out if Angelina is going to cancel practice or not, we can tell everyone else." The other three agreed.

Their first class of the day was Herbology, and by the time they reached the greenhouses, they were soaking wet. The rain was still pounding away all throughout class, and when class ended, they ran back up to the castle for lunch, where Angelina tracked Harry and Ron down to inform them she'd cancelled practice.

"Good," Harry said, his voice low, "because we've found somewhere to have our first Defense meeting. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie and Alicia?"

"Of course," Angelina said before setting off again. Hermione gave Harry a calculating look as he returned to his lunch.

"What?" he asked after a moment.

"Well…it's just that Dobby's plans aren't always that safe," Hermione commented. "Don't you remember when he lost you all the bones in your arm?"

"This room isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's," Harry insisted. "Dumbledore knows about it too, he mentioned it to me at the Yule Ball."

"Dumbledore told you about it?" Liza repeated.

"Just in passing," Harry replied.

"Oh, well, that's all right then," Hermione said.

For the rest of the afternoon, the four of them tracked down those who had been in the Hog's Head to let them know of the first meeting. By the end of dinner that evening, they were sure that everyone knew about it.

At seven-thirty, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza decided to check out the Room of Requirement. Harry had with him the Marauder's Map, a map of Hogwarts that told you where everyone was in the castle. They trooped up to the seventh floor, pausing when they reached it.

"Hold it," Harry said, opening the map which was blank for the moment. He took out his wand and tapped the parchment, saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The map appeared on the parchment, and Liza could see small dots moving around on it.

"Filch is on the second floor," Harry reported, examining the map, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."

"And Umbridge?" Hermione asked.

"In her office," Harry replied. "Okay, let's go."

They moved along the corridor until they found the blank wall that Dobby had told Harry about.

"Okay," Harry whispered. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need." The four of them did as Dobby had directed, concentrating hard on a classroom for them to practice defense spells in that nobody else would be able to find.

"Harry," Hermione gasped after they had walked past the wall three times. Liza spun around to see that a door had appeared in the wall. Nobody moved for a moment; then Harry grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

"C'mon," he said, beckoning the others to follow him. They entered the room and stared around in amazement. Along the walls were bookshelves, covered in books. There were cushions all over the floor, and at one end of the room was a shelf covered in strange instruments.

"These will be good when we're practicing Stunning," Ron said, looking at the cushions.

"And just look at these books!" Hermione exclaimed, examining one of the shelves. "_A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions… The Dark Arts Outsmarted… Self-Defensive Spellwork… _Wow…" She turned to look at Harry and Liza, her eyes shining with excitement. "Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"

"I wonder if the room does food?" Liza asked. She closed her eyes and wished for a chocolate cake, but after a minute nothing had appeared. "Hm. It doesn't do food. We'll have to get the twins to bring snacks." She shared a laugh with Ron. Hermione, meanwhile, had plucked a book from one of the shelves and plopped into a cushion.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Harry and Liza turned to see Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean enter the room.

"Whoa," Dean breathed. "What is this place?" Before Harry could explain, the door opened again and another wave of people entered. The new arrivals all took a seat on a cushion, and by eight o'clock, everyone had arrived, including Dennis Creevey, Colin's younger brother, who hadn't met them in the Hog's Head because he was too young to visit Hogsmeade. Liza took Dennis over to Hermione to add his name to their signup sheet. When everyone was accounted for, Harry went to the door and locked it.

"Well," Harry began, standing in front of the group. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've—er—obviously found it okay—"

"It's fantastic!" Cho exclaimed, and everyone else nodded their agreement.

"It's bizarre," Fred said. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then…"

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" Dean asked, pointing to the instruments at the back of the room.

"Dark Detectors," Harry answered, walking over to them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled." He turned back to the group and continued, "Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first—an—er—What, Hermione?" he asked. Liza looked at Hermione, who had her hand in the air.

"I think we ought to elect a leader," she said.

"Harry's leader," Cho stated immediately.

"Yes, but I think we ought to vote on it properly," Hermione said. "It makes it formal and it gives him authority. So—everyone, who thinks Harry ought to be our leader?" Everyone put their hands in the air, even Zacharias.

"Er—right, thanks," Harry said, looking a bit embarrassed. "And—_what_, Hermione?" Liza rolled her eyes, grinning at her friend.

"I also think we ought to have a name," Hermione answered cheerfully. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"I like it," Liza supplied when people looked unconvinced. "I mean, if we're going to be an illegal club, then we might as well have a name."

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" Angelina asked.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" Fred said, smirking.

"I was thinking more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to," Hermione clarified, "so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defense Association?" Cho suggested. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," Ginny agreed. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" She and Liza exchanged a high-five.

"All in favor of the D.A.?" Hermione asked, counting the hands that went up. "That's a majority—motion passed!" She took the parchment with all their names on it and wrote _Dumbledore's Army_ at the top of it. Then she pinned it to the wall.

"Right," Harry said, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful—"

"Oh _please_," Zacharias interrupted. "I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," Harry replied. "It saved my life last June." Everyone was quiet. "But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry added to Zacharias. Nobody moved from their cushions.

"You're the boss, Harry," Liza spoke up.

"Okay," Harry asked, giving Liza a grateful look, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice." Everyone began to pair off, and John came up to Liza.

"Good evening, madam," he said cheekily. He kissed her forehead before asking, "Would you like to be my partner?"

"Certainly," Liza answered, giving him a curtsey as he backed away from her.

"Right—on the count of three, then—one, two, three—"

"_Expelliarmus_!" Liza shouted, pointing her wand at John, who had his wand pointed at her. This time it was Liza's spell that hit John, forcing him off his feet and sending his wand flying through the air. She felt his spell shoot past her ear before she caught his wand.

"That was payback for three years ago," she informed him, smiling gleefully. She tossed his wand back and they stood at the ready again before sending Disarming Charms at each other once more.

Liza got him again, catching his wand in her hand. On the third time, though, John's spell got her first, and she was falling over onto a cushion. She let out a laugh.

"Well, you two obviously have the hang of this," Harry said, who was walking around to make sure everyone was doing the spell correctly. Liza stuck her tongue out at him. He moved on to the next pair, and John walked over to Liza. He extended his hand and helped her to her feet. They looked around at the others, and Liza was surprised to see that a lot of people were having trouble with this spell.

A few minutes later, Harry was blowing on a whistle that the room must have provided for him.

"That wasn't bad," Harry said when everyone had quieted, "but there's definite room for improvement. Let's try again…"

Everyone started practicing again, and Liza and John moved over to stand with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

"This is going rather well, isn't it?" Hermione asked as Ron and Neville faced off against each other.

"Yeah, I think so," Liza replied. "I'm a bit surprised at the amount of people who are having problems casting the spell correctly, though. Especially Zacharias, did you see him completely miss Mary three times? So much for this being such a basic spell…" John smirked, and Hermione tried to repress a smile.

"Come on, you guys, you're supposed to be practicing," Harry said, coming over to them. "Liza and Hermione, let's see you two against each other, let's go…" Liza rolled her eyes, and she and Hermione stepped back from each other.

"_Expelliarmus!_" they both shouted. Liza was surprised when Hermione stumbled backwards, her wand shooting out of her hand. Liza caught it then tossed it back to Hermione.

"All right, I definitely know that Liza can cast a Disarming Charm," Harry said, also clearly surprised. "C'mon, Liza, you and me." He went over to where Hermione was standing and squared off.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Liza and Harry shouted. Liza felt Harry's spell hit her, her wand flying through the air as she took a few steps back. When she looked up at Harry, however, she saw that his wand was also out of his hand.

"Nice," Liza said, grinning at Harry, who smiled back.

"Keep practicing, the rest of you," he said, taking his wand from Neville, who had picked it up. Ron handed Liza's wand back to her.

It was a little while later when Hermione looked at her watch and gasped.

"Hey, Harry," she called across the room, "have you checked the time?" Some of the others also checked their watches. Liza glanced at John's wrist, since she didn't have a watch for herself, and saw that it was already after nine o'clock which meant the students in the fifth year and younger were breaking curfew.

Harry blew his whistle, and everyone stopped casting spells.

"Well, that was pretty good," Harry said when it was quiet, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" Dean cried, and quite a few people nodded their agreement.

"The Quidditch season's about to start," Angelina spoke up, "we need team practices too!"

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," Harry said, "and we can decide on additional meetings then… Come on, we'd better get going…" He took out the Marauder's Map and checked to see if anyone was on the seventh floor.

The members of the D.A. left in groups, with Harry watching the map to make sure they made it to their common rooms safely. John and Mary were some of the last to leave, after John and Liza shared a quick kiss. Soon, it was Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Liza left.

"That was really, really good, Harry," Hermione said.

"Yeah, it was!" Ron agreed. They left the room and then watched as the door disappeared into the blank wall. "Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Only once," Hermione replied stubbornly. "I got you loads more than you got me—"

"I did not only get you once, I got you at least three times—" Ron protested.

"Well, if you're counting the one where you tripped over your own feet and knocked the wand out of my hand—" Hermione retorted.

"All right, that's enough," Liza said, shaking her head. Ron and Hermione continued to hiss at each other all the way back to the common room. Harry was quiet, watching the Marauder's Map with a shadow of a grin on his, and Liza couldn't help but smile, glad her brother was finally happy again.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: Again, sorry for the shortness of this chapter. I have a general idea of what's going to happen with Liza and John between this story and the next one, which is nice. Their relationship is definitely going to get even more complicated at the end of this story, but I at least know how it's going to play out. The only friendship I'm having a hard time with right now is Liza's and Neville's, because they need to be fairly close before what I have planned for them in book/story 7 (they won't be in a romantic relationship ever, in case you're wondering/worrying), so I need to start establishing that stronger friendship soon but I'm having issues as to when I should do that.**_


	15. Chapter 15 The Horrible Quidditch Match

_**A/N: This chapter took me a while to finish. Yay for mild writer's block.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 15 – The Horrible Quidditch Match**

The next few weeks the D.A. continued to meet in secret. Not only did Liza feel like she was becoming better at defense, she noticed that Harry had been happier than she'd seen him in a while. She also found herself spending more time with Neville, whom she'd taken to helping out at D.A. practices. In the past four meetings, Neville had improved so much that he'd been able to disarm Hermione.

They'd been having difficulties picking a meeting time for their practices, however.

"I mean, I have to try and find a time between three different Quidditch practices," Harry complained one night in the common room. "It's nearly impossible."

"Well, maybe having a sporadic meeting schedule is better," Liza said. "I mean, if anyone was trying to track us, it'd be much harder for them if we aren't meeting at the same time every week."

"I suppose you're right," Harry sighed. "Still, it's a lot of hassle, having to run around and find out everyone's schedule."

"Don't you worry, Harry," Hermione spoke up, lowering her Ancient Runes book. "I've got something that ought to help."

At the end of the next practice, Hermione unveiled her idea. She produced a basket of fake Galleons.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding up one. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on _his_ coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his." There was a moment of silence.

"Well—I thought it was a good idea," Hermione mumbled when nobody said anything, "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But…well, if you don't want to use them…"

"You can do a Protean Charm?" Terry Boot spoke up.

"Yes," Hermione answered.

"But that's…that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," Terry said.

"Oh," Hermione said. "Oh…well…yes, I suppose it is…" Liza exchanged a knowing look with John.

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" Terry asked. "With brains like yours?"

"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," Hermione explained, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So does that mean we're using the Galleons?"

"Hell yeah," Liza said, reaching out and plucking one of the Galleons from the basket. The rest of the group also stepped forward to receive a coin.

"You know what these remind me of?" Harry asked in a quiet voice to Hermione, Liza, and Ron.

"No, what's that?" Hermione replied.

"The Death Eaters' scars," Harry answered. "Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well…yes," Hermione said. "That _is_ where I got the idea…but you'll notice I decided to engrave the dates on bits of metal rather than our members' skin…"

"Yeah…I prefer your way," Harry said. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them."

"Fat chance," Ron cut in. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

**~LJ:NK~**

Unfortunately, due to the first Quidditch match of the season coming up, the D.A. meetings had to be put on hold because Angelina had the Gryffindor team practicing nearly every day. However, just because they couldn't have formal meetings didn't mean that they couldn't spend time working on homework and practicing on their own in the Room of Requirement.

Liza spent most nights in the Room of Requirement with Hermione, Neville, John, Ernie, Justin, Hannah, and Susan. Some of the others came around on some nights, but not nearly as often. The Ravenclaws preferred to study on their own, and those who weren't in fifth year had their own friends they would rather spend time with.

"All right, Neville, try again," Liza said. She was standing in the middle of the room with a bunch of cushions surrounding her. Neville was facing her, his wand at the ready. They were practicing Stunning.

"Take a breath," Liza advised, "and focus." Neville took a deep breath, his eyes screwed up in concentration, and pointed his wand at Liza.

"_Stupefy_!" he exclaimed. The spell hit Liza in the ribs, and she fell over. The effects lasted for only a few seconds, and she quickly sprang back to her feet. Neville looked downcast.

"I'm never going to get this right!" he stormed at himself.

"Yes, you will," Liza said. "This isn't an easy spell, Nev." When Neville still looked upset, Liza added, "Let's take a break for a while, maybe work on some homework or something." Neville agreed, and he joined Hannah and Justin at a circular table. Liza went over to a pile of cushions where John was sprawled out, reading one of his textbooks.

"Incoming!" Liza exclaimed, pouncing onto the cushions next to him. John chuckled, shutting his book. Liza wiggled her way into a lounging position next to him.

"How's Neville doing?" John asked as Liza got comfortable.

"He's doing all right," Liza replied. "His stunner isn't hitting as hard as it should be, but at least he's knocking his target down now. Even if he can't get his stunner as strong as it should be, at least it can knock someone over." John gave her a smile and kissed her temple.

"I'm sure with all this extra help, he'll be able to master it," he reasoned. "So, are you ready for this Quidditch match?"

"Yeah," Liza answered. "I can't believe how hyped up the school is getting over it! I know that there was no Quidditch last year, but I keep overhearing people making bets on the match. Everyone is so excited for it."

"No pressure for either team, then, eh?" John laughed. Liza sighed and took one of his hands in hers.

"I hate it when Gryffindor and Slytherin play against each other," she pouted. "Then I can't stand with you at the match." John leaned over and kissed her.

"It'll be okay," he said. "It's only one match." Liza smiled at him.

At about nine o'clock that night, everyone left the Room of Requirement for their respective dormitories. Hermione, Neville, and Liza stayed up in the common room for a little while longer before heading to bed.

The next morning was the day of the big Quidditch match. It was a bright but cold morning, and Liza and Hermione made sure to put on many extra layers. Then they went down to the Great Hall together for breakfast.

"Good morning, Neville," Liza said, smiling at her classmate as she and Hermione sat down next to him.

"Morning," Neville said. "Bit of a cold day for Quidditch, isn't it?"

"No kidding," Liza agreed, glancing up at the ceiling of the Great Hall. It showed a bright, cloudless sky, and Liza added, "But at least it isn't snowing." Ginny joined them a few minutes later, sitting down next to Hermione.

"Morning!" she said brightly. "Could you pass the marmalade?" Neville pushed the jar down the table towards her.

Then Harry and Ron came up to them, and Harry practically forced Ron to sit down.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked, looking at her brother in concern.

"He's just nervous," Harry answered for Ron. "All he needs is to get some food in him, and he'll be ready to go." Harry began to prepare plates for both himself and Ron.

"Well, that's a good sign, I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous," Hermione said. There was silence for a few minutes while Harry began eating, but Ron simply stared at his food.

"Hello," a voice said from behind Liza. She, Neville, Hermione, and Ginny turned to see Luna Lovegood standing there. On her head was a hat shaped like a lion's head. Some people nearby where giggling at the ridiculous headgear.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor," Luna explained, gesturing to the hat. "Look what it does…" She pulled her wand out and tapped the hat with it. The lion head gave a very lifelike roar, and everyone in the Hall jumped at the noise.

"Merlin," Liza breathed, pressing her hand against her chest, her heart rate higher than normal.

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. Anyway…good luck, Ronald!" Then she turned and headed back to her own table.

Angelina came over, followed by Katie and Alicia.

"When you're ready, we're going to go straight down to the pitch," Angelina told Harry and Ron, "check out the conditions and change."

"We'll be there in a bit," Harry said. "Ron's just got to have some breakfast."

For the next ten minutes, Harry, Hermione, Liza, Ginny, and Neville attempted to get Ron to have something to eat. Ron refused, no matter what they said or what food they stuck under his nose. Harry had no choice but to lead Ron out of the Great Hall with Ron's stomach mostly empty.

"Good luck, Ron," Hermione said before they left. "And you, Harry—" The others echoed similar sentiments.

"Liza!" a voice called as the Gryffindors were finishing their breakfasts. Liza turned to see John hurrying towards her.

"Hi," Liza greeted, frowning in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Er," he started, looking anxious. "Hey, Neville, is it all right if I sit down for a minute?"

"Of course," Neville replied, scooting over so John could sit down.

"There's something you need to know," John said. "All of you, really. I managed to snag one so you could see it…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver badge in the shape of a crown. On it read 'Weasley is Our King'.

"What—what does this mean?" Liza asked, her brow furrowing.

"Well, most of the Slytherins know that Ron has been really nervous about this match," John explained. "So Malfoy took it upon himself to get our house to be as distracting as possible. There may or may not be a chant that goes along with it…"

"That foul little stinkbug," Liza seethed, turning and scanning the Slytherin table, but Malfoy was nowhere to be seen.

"They've already gone down to the pitch," John said. He shook his head, sighing. "I just hope Ron is up for this. And I wanted to let you know that I am taking no part in this," he added, dropping the badge onto the table. He looked upset, more upset than Liza thought he should be.

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Liza asked Neville, Hermione, and Ginny.

"Yeah, of course," Hermione said at once. "We'll head down to the pitch and save you a spot."

"Thanks," Liza said, and Hermione, Neville, and Ginny left for the grounds.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Liza asked, turning back to her boyfriend.

"I just don't want everyone else to think that I'm going along with this," John replied. "There are actually quite a few people who refused to participate. But I'm part of the D.A. with all these people from the other houses who are just going to think that I helped bully Ron. What if they don't want me to be part of the group anymore?"

"It's a good thing it's not up to them, then," Liza said. She took one of his hands. "I know that you would never be this cruel to anyone. I know that you want your team to win fair and square. If it's bothering you so much, maybe you could come and sit next to us?"

"No, I don't think your other house members would appreciate that very much," John replied. "The important thing is that you know that I am not a part of that." He gestured to the badge, still sitting on the table.

"Mind if I take this?" Liza asked, picking it up. John frowned in confusion but nodded.

"Not sure why you'd need it, but okay," he said. "We better get going, the match is going to start soon." The two of them stood from the table and parted ways. Liza pocketed the badge.

She hurried down to the pitch by herself, and when she reached the stands, she gazed around until she saw Neville and Hermione waving their hands in the air so she could see them. She squeezed past a group of third-years and stood next to Hermione.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Liza replied. "John's just worried that people in the D.A. are going to think that he participated in this whole 'Weasley is Our King' thing, and they'll want to kick him out."

"We won't kick him out!" Hermione gasped. "I feel horrible that he thinks that. He must know that we trust him now, right?"

"He knows that _we_ do," Liza replied, gesturing between the two of them and Neville, "but he doesn't know the Hufflepuffs or the Ravenclaws very well. They might not trust him because he's in Slytherin."

Before their conversation could go any further, a loud voice echoed around the stadium.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch match of the season!" Lee Jordan, who was commentating as usual, exclaimed. "Today's match is Slytherin versus Gryffindor! And here is the Slytherin team: Montague, Pucey, Warrington, Crabbe, Goyle, Bletchley, and Malfoy."

"Crabbe and Goyle?" Liza repeated, stunned. "I can't believe Crabbe and Goyle made the team!"

"What position are they playing?" Neville asked.

"They're the Beaters, I think," Liza answered. "Montague, Pucey, and Warrington are all Chasers."

"Here comes the Gryffindor team!" Lee continued as seven figures in red robes entered the stadium. "Johnson, Spinnet, Bell, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, and Potter!" Liza and her fellow Gryffindors roared their support. Madam Hooch, the referee for the match, had the captains shake hands at midfield, and then blew her whistle, signaling the beginning of the game. The fourteen players zoomed into the air.

"And it's Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle," Lee began, "what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me—"

"Possibly because she fancies one of your best mates!" Liza shouted, and several Gryffindors around her laughed.

"JORDAN!" Professor McGonagall, who was observing Lee's commentating, shouted.

"Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest," Lee insisted. "And she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's—ouch—been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe… Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and—nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away—"

"Can you hear singing?" Hermione asked, frowning as she strained to listen.

"I think it's coming from the Slytherin section," Liza said. "John said they made up a chant, remember?"

"I can't tell what they're saying, though, can you?" Neville added.

"—dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger—" Lee continued, "close call Alicia—and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?" He paused, and the song coming from the Slytherin section grew loud enough for the rest of the stadium to hear.

_Weasley cannot save a thing,  
>He cannot block a single ring,<br>That's why Slytherins all sing:  
>Weasley is our King.<em>

_Weasley was born in a bin,  
>He always lets the Quaffle in,<br>Weasley will make sure we win,  
>Weasley is our King.<em>

Liza closed her shaking hands into fists and clenched her teeth together. _What _asshole_ would make up a song like that?_ she thought before remembering what John had said: Malfoy. Of course.

"—and Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Lee shouted, louder than ever, obviously trying to drown out the Slytherin's singing. "Come on now, Angelina—looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat!—SHE SHOOTS—SHE—aaah…" Bletchley had swooped in and saved the goal, throwing it down the field to Warrington. As Warrington neared Ron, the Slytherins sang even louder.

_Weasley is our King,  
>Weasley is our King,<br>He always lets the Quaffle in,  
>Weasley is our King.<em>

"—and it's Warrington with the Quaffle," Lee said, "Warrington heading for goal, he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead—"

_Weasley cannot save a single thing,  
>He cannot block a single ring<em>

"—so it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper, Weasley, brother of Beaters, Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team—come on, Ron!"

There were groans all around Liza as Warrington threw the Quaffle past Ron and into the goal.

"Slytherin score!" Lee announced. "So that's ten-nil to Slytherin—bad luck, Ron…"

_WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,  
>HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN<em>

"—and Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch—" Lee continued, trying to talk above the noise of the Slytherins singing, but it was almost no use.

_WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN,  
>WEASLEY IS OUR KING.<em>

Liza locked her hands together behind her head, looking up to see if she could find Harry anywhere. He was circling the stadium, and the Snitch was nowhere to be seen. The Slytherins continued to sing, and Liza did her best to block them out.

"—and it's Warrington again," Lee shouted, "who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Spinnet, come on now Angelina, you can take him—turns out you can't—but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh who cares, one of them anyway, and Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell—er—drops it too—so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle, and he's off up the pitch, come on now Gryffindor, block him! Montague passes to Pucey, and Pucey's dodged Alicia again, and he's heading straight for goal, stop it, Ron!"

"Come on, Ron!" Liza shouted, but it didn't matter. Ron had let in another goal, and the Slytherins were screaming their song.

_THAT'S WHY SLYTHERINS ALL SING:  
>WEASLEY IS OUR KING.<em>

The brutal game continued, and Ron let in two more goals, making it forty-zero in Slytherin's favor.

"—and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve, Katie," Lee was yelling at the top of his voice, "and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for goal, come on now Angelina—GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten, forty-ten to Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle—"

Finally the Gryffindor supporters had something to yell about. Somewhere nearby, Liza could hear the roar from Luna's hat.

"C'mon, Harry," she murmured, folding her hands together worriedly. "C'mon, Harry, find that Snitch…"

Suddenly Harry dived, and Malfoy was on his tail in a matter of seconds. Liza only had eyes for the two Seekers, who were hurtling neck-and-neck for the Snitch. Then Harry soared into the air, his fist clenched around the tiny ball, holding it high above his head.

"YES!" Liza screamed. "YES, OH MY GOD, HE DID IT!" She and Hermione jumped up and down together as Madam Hooch was blowing her whistle to signal the end of the game—

A Bludger came flying out of nowhere and crashed into Harry's back, throwing him forward off his broom. Thankfully he only had a few feet to fall, but Liza let out a scream anyway. Madam Hooch blew her whistle again, gesturing wildly at Crabbe. The rest of the Gryffindor team were landing on the field, and Liza could see that Malfoy was jeering at them, standing not very far from them.

"What's going on?" Liza asked, standing on her tip toes to try and see what was happening on the field.

"Looks like Crabbe is going to get in some trouble for hitting Harry with the Bludger," Neville reported.

"No, I meant what's going on down there on the field?" Liza asked, pointing at the Gryffindor team and Malfoy. It looked as though Angelina, Alicia, Katie, and Harry were restraining Fred and George from running at the other team's Seeker.

Without warning, Harry and George were charging at Malfoy, fists flying.

"Oh, my!" Hermione gasped, putting her hands to her mouth.

"Let me through!" Liza commanded, pushing through the Gryffindor crowd. She jumped down the stairs and sprinted across the field towards the Gryffindor team. By the time she'd reached them, Madam Hooch had separated the boys.

"What do you think you're doing?" Madam Hooch was yelling, her wand held aloft. Liza quickly went up to Ron and tugged on his sleeve so he knew she was there. Then she surveyed the scene in front of her; Malfoy was curled up on the grass, his nose bleeding, while George and Harry were standing together. George had a swollen lip, but Harry seemed fine. Fred was struggling to get out of Angelina's, Alicia's, and Katie's grip.

"I've never seen behavior like it!" Madam Hooch stormed at Harry and George. "Back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! _Now!_" George and Harry turned without a word and left the field. Madam Hooch turned to some of the other Slytherin team members and directed them to take Malfoy up to the hospital wing. Fred was still looking livid, and Liza cautiously stepped in front of him.

"Fred?" she asked, and he glanced at her, his eyes blazing with anger. "Okay, Fred, I need you to look at Angelina." She turned to Angelina and said, "Calm him down, you're the only one who's going to be able to do it right now." Fred slowly turned his head to look at Angelina. Then Liza went back to Ron's side.

"What just happened?" she asked in a low voice. Ron shrugged, looking upset. "Do you want me to wait for you while you change?"

"Sure," Ron answered hoarsely. Other Gryffindors were trickling onto the field, and Angelina had managed to subdue Fred enough to escort him from the field. The Gryffindor team went into their locker room, and Liza heard her name being called.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as she and Neville caught up with Liza. "Where did Harry and George go?"

"They attacked Malfoy for some reason," Liza replied. "I'm not sure why. Madam Hooch sent them off to Professor McGonagall's office."

"Well, that's…interesting," Hermione said. "At least we won!"

"Yes, there's that," Liza said, frowning.

"Do you think there will be a party tonight?" Neville asked.

"You know, Neville, I'm not sure that there will be," Liza said.

**~LJ:NK~**

That night in the common room, instead of a party, the Gryffindor team was huddled in front of the fire, along with Hermione, Liza, and Ginny. Ron was the only one who was missing. Harry, George, and Fred had just told them what had happened on the field and then informed them that Umbridge had given the three boys a lifelong Quidditch ban.

"Banned," Angelina echoed faintly. "_Banned_. No Seeker and no Beaters… What on earth are we going to do?"

"It's just so unfair," Alicia moaned. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned _him_?"

"No," Ginny spoke up. "He just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."

"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" Alicia added angrily.

"It's not my fault I didn't," Fred growled. "I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you three hadn't been holding me back." Liza looked up as the Snitch that Harry had caught zoomed past their heads. The rest of the common room also appeared to be in a stupor; nobody seemed to know how to react to what had happened.

"I'm going to bed," Angelina said resignedly. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream… Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet…" Alicia accompanied her from the common room, followed shortly after by Katie. Fred and George got up next, looking uncharacteristically angry, and Ginny soon went to bed, as well.

Liza had her head propped up on her hands, staring into the fire. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Harry was feeling right now, and she didn't know what she could say to help him.

"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence. Liza turned to look at Harry, who was shaking his head.

"I think he's avoiding us," Liza supplied. "I waited for him after the match, but when we got back to the castle, he went off on his own and I haven't seen him since. Where do you think he—?"

The portrait hole opened, stopping Liza mid-sentence. Ron had just climbed into the common room, his hair soaked with snow. He froze when he saw Harry, Hermione, and Liza staring at him.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked, looking worried.

"Walking," Ron mumbled.

"You look frozen," Liza said in concern. "Come and sit down in front of the fire." Ron slumped over to them and fell into an armchair, not looking at Harry.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"What for?" Harry asked.

"For thinking I can play Quidditch," Ron replied. "I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"If you resign there'll only be three players left on the team," Harry informed him. Ron looked at him, his brow furrowing in concern. "I've been given a lifetime ban," Harry explained. "So've Fred and George."

"What?" Ron exclaimed. Hermione and Liza took turns filling him in on what had happened. When they were finished, Ron looked appalled.

"This is all my fault—" he moaned, burying his face in his hands.

"You didn't _make _me punch Malfoy," Harry shot back.

"—if I wasn't so lousy at Quiditch—"

"—it's got nothing to do with that—"

"—it was that song that wound me up—"

"—it would've wound anyone up—"

Hermione got up from the couch and moved away to the window, looking out onto the grounds as Harry and Ron continued to bicker.

"Look, drop it, will you!" Harry snapped. "It's bad enough without you blaming yourself for everything!"

"Just stop it!" Liza said, looking between the two of them. "There's no point in arguing, it's already happened. Time to move on." There was silence for a few minutes.

"This is the worst I've ever felt in my life," Ron croaked.

"Join the club," Harry said miserably.

"Well, I can think of one thing that might cheer you both up," Hermione piped up from her place near the window.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked wearily.

"Yeah," Hermione said. She turned to look at the other three, a smile growing on her face. "Hagrid's back."

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: I'm struggling a bit with Liza and John's relationship at the moment. I don't want it to be too physical as of right now. Liza's only 15 years old, and John's 16 by now, but I don't want to put too much emphasis on a physical relationship between the two of them, at least not yet. Things will get interesting at the end of the story, I promise, but for right now their relationship is mostly behind the scenes stuff.**_


	16. Chapter 16 Hagrid Returns

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 16 – Hagrid Returns**

"I'll be right back!" Harry exclaimed, jumping up and sprinting for the boys' staircase.

"Where is he going?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"I'm sure he's getting his Invisibility Cloak!" Liza answered excitedly. "C'mon, Hermione, let's go upstairs and get our scarves and stuff."

Five minutes later, the four fifth-years were gathered back in the common room. Harry threw the cloak over their heads, and they slowly made their way out of the common room and out of the castle. Thankfully, they only passed Nearly Headless Nick on their way down to the Entrance Hall.

When they reached the grounds, they could see that there were lights on in Hagrid's hut. Harry sped up, causing the others to stumble over each other to keep up. When they got to the hut, Harry pounded on the door.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry said.

"Shoulda known!" a voice called back through the door. "Bin home three seconds…Out the way, Fang…_Out the way_, yeh dozy dog…" Finally the door opened, and Hagrid stuck his head outside.

Hermione screamed, and Hagrid shushed them, "Merlin's beard, keep it down! Under that cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"

"I'm sorry!" Hermione said as the four of them entered the house. Harry pulled the cloak off. "I just—oh, _Hagrid_!"

"it's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" Hagrid hurried to defend himself.

It didn't look like nothing. Hagrid's hair was matted down and full of dried blood. He had a black eye, and his face and hands were covered in scratches. When he moved, he hobbled across the room, as though experiencing pain elsewhere. He went over to the fire and set a kettle over it.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked. Liza squatted down and scratched Fang's ears.

"Told yeh, _nuthin_'," Hagrid replied. "Want a cuppa?"

"Come of it," Ron scoffed, "you're in a right state!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," Hagrid said. He stood up straight and winced. "Blimey, it's good ter see you four again—had good summers, did you?"

"Hagrid, you look like you've been attacked!" Liza cried.

"Fer the las' time, it's nuthin'!" Hagrid insisted.

"Would you say it was nothing if one of us turned up with a pound of mince instead of a face?" Ron asked.

"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," Hermione added. "Some of those cuts look nasty."

"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" Hagrid said. He went over to his table and pushed aside a towel that had been covering a plate. On the plate was a large, raw steak.

"You're not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid?" Ron asked, looking closer at the meat. "It looks poisonous."

"It's s'posed ter look like that, it's dragon meat," Hagrid answered. "An' I didn' get it ter eat." He grabbed the slab of meat and pushed it up against his eye. He let out a loud satisfactory noise and said, "Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know."

"So are you going to tell us what's happened to you?" Harry pressed.

"Can', Harry," Hagrid replied. "Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that."

"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" Liza whispered. Hagrid dropped his steak, his eyes wide.

"Giants?" Hagrid repeated, snatching up the meat and holding it back over his eye. "Who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh what I've—who's said I've bin—eh?"

"At the end of last year, Dumbledore mentioned that he wanted you to send envoys to the giants," Liza replied.

"Did he?" Hagrid grunted.

"Yes, so we guessed that's what you were doing," Hermione said.

"Oh, yeh did, did yeh?" Hagrid asked.

"It was kind of…obvious," Ron added. Harry nodded his agreement. Hagrid let out a snort, tossed his steak onto the table, and went back to the fire.

"Never known kids like you four fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta," he chuckled. He lifted the kettle off the fire and poured the water into one of his large mugs. "An' I'm not complimentin' yeh, neither. Nosy, some'd call it. Interferin'."

"Then why are you smiling?" Liza asked slyly.

"So you have been to look for giants?" Harry prompted, smiling. Hagrid filled up four more mugs with water from the kettle, and set the tea out on the table.

"Yeah, all righ'," he said, sitting down at the table and putting the steak back on his eye. "I have." The four Gryffindors took seats around the table as well, eagerly waiting for Hagrid to elaborate.

"And you found them?" Hermione asked.

"Well, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest," Hagrid replied. "Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" Liza asked.

"Mountains," Hagrid stated.

"So why don't Muggles—?" Ron started.

"They do," Hagrid cut him off. "O'ny their deaths are always put down ter mountaineerin' accidents, aren' they?" He shifted the steak a little bit.

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" Ron demanded. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the dementors—" Hagrid simultaneously dropped his steak and spat out a mouthful of tea. The steak fell to the floor, and Fang bounded over to it excitedly.

"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?" Hagrid asked wildly.

"Didn't you hear about it?" Liza asked.

"I don' know anything that's bin happenin' since I left," Hagrid answered. "I was on a secret mission, wasn' I, didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place—ruddy dementors! Yeh're not serious?"

"Yeah, I am," Harry said, "they turned up in Little Whinging and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me—"

"WHAT?" Hagrid thundered.

"—and I had to go to a hearing and everything, but tell us about the giants first."

"You were _expelled_?" Hagrid repeated.

"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine," Harry said firmly. Hagrid and Harry glared at each other for a moment before Hagrid sighed.

"Oh, all righ'," he said. He reached under the table and pulled the meat out of Fang's mouth.

"Oh, Hagrid, don't, it's not hygien—" Hermione began, but Hagrid put the steak back against his eye. Hermione shook her head, and Hagrid took another sip of his tea.

"Well, we set off righ' after term ended—" he started.

"Madam Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione asked before he could continue.

"Yeah, that's right," Hagrid answered. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."

"You knew where you were going?" Harry echoed. "You knew where the giants were?"

"Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us," Hagrid said.

"Are they hidden?" Ron asked. "Is it a secret, where they are?"

"Not really," Hagrid replied. "It's jus' that mos' wizard aren' bothered where they are, s' long as it's a good long way away. But where they are's very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there—"

"A _month_?" Liza repeated. "But—why couldn't you just grab a Portkey or something?"

"We're bein' watched," Hagrid answered.

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

"Yeh don' understand," Hagrid said. "The Ministry's keepin' an eye on Dumbledore an' anyone they reckon's in league with him, an'—"

"We know about that," Harry interrupted. "We know about the Ministry watching Dumbledore—"

"So you couldn't use magic to get there?" Ron asked. "You had to act like Muggles _all the way_?"

"Well, not exactly all the way," Hagrid said. "We jus' had ter be careful, 'cause Olympe an' me, we stick out a bit—" Ron made a noise and quickly took a long gulp of his tea. "—so we're not hard to follow. We was pretendin' we was goin' on holiday together, so we got inter France an' we made like we was headin' fer where Olympe's school is, 'cause we knew we was bein' tailed by someone from the Ministry. We had to go slow, 'cause I'm not really s'posed ter use magic an' we knew the Ministry'd be lookin' for a reason ter run us in. But we managed ter give the berk tailin' us the slip round abou' Dee-John—"

"Oooh, Dijon?" Hermione cut in. "I've been there on holiday, did you see—?"

"'Mione?" Liza stopped her gently. "This is probably not the best time."

"We chanced a bit o' magic after that, and it wasn' a bad journey," Hagrid continued. "Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border, an' I had a slight disagreement with a vampire in a pub in Minsk, but apart from tha', couldn't'a bin smoother.

"An' then we reached the place, an' we started trekkin' up through the mountains, lookin' fer signs of 'em… We had ter lay off the magic once we got near 'em. Partly 'cause they don' like wizards an' we didn' want ter put their backs up too soon, and partly 'cause Dumbledore had warned us You-Know-Who was bound ter be after giants an' all. Said it was odds on he'd sent a messenger off ter them already. Told us ter be very careful of drawin' attention to ourselves as we got nearer in case there was Death Eaters around." Hagrid paused to take a drink of his tea.

"Go on!" Harry urged.

"Found 'em," Hagrid went on. "Went over a ridge one nigh' an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below an' huge shadows… It was like watchin' bits o' the mountain movin'."

"How big are they?" Ron asked.

"'Bout twenty feet," Hagrid said. "Some o' the bigger ones mighta bin twenty-five."

"And how many were there?" Liza asked.

"I reckon abou' seventy or eighty," Hagrid replied.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," Hagrid replied, sounding sad, "eighty left, an' there was loads once, musta bin a hundred diff'rent tribes from all over the world. But they've bin dyin' out fer ages. Wizards killed a few, o' course, but mostly they killed each other, an' now they're dyin' out faster than ever. They're not made ter live bunched up together like tha'. Dumbledore says it's our fault, it was the wizards who forced 'em to go an' made 'em live a good long way from us an' they had no choice but ter stick together fer their own protection."

"So, you saw them and then what?" Harry asked.

"Well, we waited till morning, didn' want ter go sneakin' up on 'em in the dark, fer our own safety," Hagrid said. "'Bout three in the mornin' they fell asleep jus' where they was sittin'. We didn' dare sleep. Fer one thing, we wanted ter make sure none of 'em woke up an' came up where we were, an' fer another, the snorin' was unbelievable. Caused an avalanche near mornin'. Anyway, once it was light we wen' down ter see 'em."

"Just like that?" Ron asked. "You just walked right into a giant camp?"

"Well, Dumbledore'd told us how ter do it," Hagrid explained. "Give the Gurg gifts, show some respect, yeh know."

"Give the _what_ gifts?" Harry asked.

"Oh, the Gurg—means the chief," Hagrid said.

"How could you tell which one was the Gurg?" Liza asked.

"No problem," Hagrid said. "He was the biggest, the ugliest, an' the laziest. Sittin' there waitin' ter be brought food by the others. Dead goats an' such like. Name o' Karkus. I'd put him at twenty-two, twenty-three feet, an' the weight of a couple o' bull elephants. Skin like rhino hide an' all."

"And you just walked up to him?" Hermione asked.

"Well…_down_ ter him, where he was lyin' in the valley," Hagrid said. "They was in this dip between four pretty high mountains, see, beside a mountain lake, an' Karkus was lyin' by the lake roarin' at the others ter feed him an' his wife. Olympe an' I went down the mountainside—"

"But didn't they try and kill you when they saw you?" Ron interrupted.

"It was def'nitely on some of their minds," Hagrid replied, "but we did what Dumbledore told us ter do, which was ter hold our gift up high an' keep our eyes on the Gurg an' ignore the others. So tha's what we did. An' the rest of 'em went quiet an' watched us pass an' we got right up ter Karkus's feet an' bowed an' put our present down in front o' him."

"What do you give a giant?" Ron asked. "Food?"

"Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself," Hagrid said. "We took him magic. Giants like magic, jus' don't like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, that firs' day we gave him a branch o' Gubraithain fire."

"Wow," Hermione breathed, but Harry, Ron and Liza exchanged confused looks.

"A branch of what, exactly?" Ron asked.

"Everlasting fire," Hermione said distractedly, "you ought to know that by now, Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class!"

"Well anyway," Hagrid cut in before Ron could say anything back, "Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn evermore, which isn' somethin' any wizard could do, an' so I lies it down in the snow by Karkus's feet and says, 'A gift to the Gurg of the giants from Albus Dumbledore, who sends his respectful greetings.'"

"And what did Karkus say?" Liza prompted.

"Nothin'," Hagrid replied. "Didn' speak English."

"You're kidding!" Harry gasped.

"Didn' matter," Hagrid went on, "Dumbledore had warned us tha' migh' happen. Karkus knew enough to yell fer a couple o' giants who knew our lingo an' they translated fer us."

"And did he like the present?" Ron asked.

"Oh yeah, it went down a storm once they understood what it was," Hagrid answered. "Very pleased. So then I said, 'Albus Dumbledore asks the Gurg to speak with his messenger when he returns tomorrow with another gift.'"

"Why couldn't you speak to them that day?" Hermione asked, looking puzzled.

"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," Hagrid said. "Let 'em see we kept our promises. _We'll come back tomorrow with another present_, an' then we do come back with another present—gives a good impression, see? An' gives them time ter test out the firs' present an' find out it's a good one, an' get 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus—overload 'em with information an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in, an' the followin' mornin' we went back an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us lookin' all eager."

"And you talked to him?" Harry asked.

"Oh yeah," Hagrid said. "Firs' we presented him with a nice battle helmet—goblin made an' indestructible, yeh know—an' then we sat down an' we talked."

"What did he say?" Liza asked.

"Not much," Hagrid replied. "Listened mostly. But there was good signs. He'd heard o' Dumbledore, heard he'd argued against the killin' of the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int'rested in what Dumbledore had ter say. An' a few o' the others, 'specially the ones who had some English, they gathered round an' listened too. We were hopeful when we left that day. Promised ter come back next day with another present… But that night it all wen' wrong."

"What d'you mean?" Ron questioned.

"Well, like I say, they're not meant ter live together, giants," Hagrid explained. "Not in big groups like that. They can' help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an' the women fight each other, the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an' that's even without squabbles over food an' the best fires an' sleepin' spots. Yeh'd think, seein' as how their whole race is abou' findished, they'd lay off each other, but…" Hagrid paused to let out a sigh before continuing.

"That night a fight broke out, we saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin' down on the valley. Went on fer hours, yeh wouldn' believe the noise. An' when the sun came up the snow was scarlet an' his head was lyin' at the bottom o' the lake."

"Whose head?" Hermione squeaked.

"Karkus's," Hagrid answered. "There was a new Gurg, Golgomath. Well, we hadn't bargained on a new Gurg two days after we'd made friendly contact with the firs' one, an' we had a funny feelin' Golgomath wouldn' be so keen ter listen to us, but we had ter try."

"You went to speak to him?" Ron asked. "After you'd watched him rip off another giant's head?"

"'Course we did," Hagrid said, "we hadn' gone all that way ter give up after two days! We wen' down with the next present we'd meant ter give ter Karkus."

"So, how did it go with the new guy?" Liza asked.

"I knew it was a no go before I'd opened me mouth," Hagrid said heavily. "He was sitting there wearin' Karkus's helmet, leerin' at us as we got nearer. He's massive, one o' the biggest ones there. Black hair an' matchin' teeth an' a necklace o' bones. Human-lookin' bones, some of 'em. Well, I gave it a go—held out a great roll o' dragon skin—an' said 'A gift fer the Gurg of the giants—' Nex' thing I knew, I was hangin' upside down in the air by me feet, two of his mates had grabbed me." Hermione let out a gasp, and Liza's jaw dropped open.

"How did you get out of _that_?" Harry asked.

"Wouldn'ta done if Olympe hadn' bin there," Hagrid replied. "She pulled out her wand an' did some o' the fastes' Spellwork I've ever seen. Ruddy marvelous. Hit the two holdin' me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses an' they dropped me straightaway—bu' we were in trouble then, 'cause we'd used magic against 'em, an' that's what giants hate abou' wizards. We had ter leg it an' we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter camp again."

"Blimey, Hagrid," Ron breathed.

"So how come it's taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?" Hermione asked.

"We didn' leave after three days!" Hagrid said defensively. "Dumbledore was relyin' on us!"

"But you just said there was no way you could go back!" Liza said, frowning.

"Not by daylight, we couldn', no," Hagrid said. "We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o' days lyin' low up in the cave an' watchin'. An' wha' we saw wasn' good."

"Did he rip off more heads?" Hermione asked faintly.

"No," Hagrid replied. "I wish he had."

"What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

"I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter all wizards—just us," Hagrid answered.

"Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Hagrid scowled darkly. "Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry dy, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling them upside down."

"How d'you know they were Death Eaters?" Ron asked.

"Because I recognized one of 'em," Hagrid explained. "Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath, no wonder they were getting' on so well."

"So Macnair's persuaded the giants to join You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked.

"Hold yer hippogriffs, I haven't finished me story yet!" Hagrid exclaimed. "Me an' Olympe talked it over an' we agreed, jus' 'cause the Gurg looked like favorin' You-Know-Who didn' mean all of 'em would. We had ter try an' persuade some o' the others, the ones who hadn't wanted Golgomath as Gurg."

"How could you tell which ones they were?" Liza asked.

"Well, they were the ones bein' beaten to a pulp, weren' they?" Hagrid answered. "The ones with any sense were keepin' outta Golgomath's way, hidin' out in caves roun' the gully jus' like we were. So we decided we'd go pokin' round the caves by night an' see if we couldn' persuade a few o' them."

"You went poking around dark caves looking for giants?" Ron repeated.

"Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most," Hagrid continued. "We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was they knew we was around—'spect Golgomath told him abou' us. At night when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' round the mountains lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at them. She was rarin' ter attack 'em…she's somethin' when she's roused, Olympe… Fiery, yeh know…'spect it's the French in her…" Hagrid trailed off, gazing longingly into the fire, as though he were thinking about Madam Maxime.

"So what happened?" Harry asked after clearing his throat. "Did you ever near any of the other giants?"

"What? Oh…oh yeah, we did," Hagrid went on. "Yeah, on the third night after Karkus was killed, we crept outta the cave we'd bin hidin' in and headed back down inter the gully, keepin' our eyes skinned fer the Death Eaters. Got inside a few o' the caves, no go—then, in abou' the sixth one, we found three giants hidin'."

"Cave must've been cramped," Ron commented.

"Wasn' room to swing a kneazle," Hagrid confirmed.

"Didn't they attack you when they saw you?" Hermione asked.

"Probably woulda done if they'd bin in any condition," Hagrid replied, "but they was badly hurt, all three o' them. Golgomath's lot had beaten 'em unconscious; they'd woken up an' crawled inter the nearest shelter they could find. Anyway, one o' them had a bit of English an' 'e translated fer the others, an' what we had ter say didn' seem ter go down too badly. So we kept goin' back, visitin' the wounded… I reckon we had abou' six or seven o' them convinced at one poin'."

"Six or seven?" Liza echoed.

"Well that's not bad," Ron reasoned. "Are they going to come over here and start fighting You-Know-Who with us?"

"What do you mean 'at one point,' Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking confused.

"Golgomath's lot raided the caves," Hagrid answered sadly. "The ones tha' survived didn' wan' no more ter do with us after that."

"So…so there aren't any giants coming?" Ron asked.

"Nope," Hagrid replied, "but we did wha' we meant ter do, we gave 'em Dumbledore's message an' some o' them heard it an' I 'spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them that don' want ter stay around Golgomath'll move outta the mountains an' there's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em… Could be they'll come…"

There was silence for a few moments. Liza looked out the window.

"Hagrid?" Hermione spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Mmm?" Hagrid grunted.

"Did you…was there are sign of…did you hear anything about your…your…mother while you were there?" Hermione asked tentatively. Hagrid just looked at her, and after a few seconds, Hermione hastily added, "I'm sorry…I…forget it—"

"Dead," Hagrid finally said. "Died years ago. They told me."

"Oh…I'm…I'm really sorry," Hermione said.

"No need," Hagrid replied, shrugging. "Can' remember her much. Wasn' a great mother." Hermione looked around at Harry, Ron, and Liza, silently begging them to change the topic.

"But you still haven't explained how you got to look like that," Liza said, looking pointedly at the steak covering his black eye.

"Or why you got back so late," Harry added. "Sirius says Madam Maxime got back ages ago—"

"Who attacked you?" Ron demanded.

"I haven' bin attacked!" Hagrid insisted. "I—" Suddenly there was a loud knocking on Hagrid's door. Hermione, letting out a gasp, accidentally dropped her mug. Fang began barking, and the five of them looked to the window next to the front door, which was thankfully covered by curtains.

"_It's her_!" Ron hissed.

"Get under here!" Harry whispered, the Invisibility Cloak already in his hands. He threw it over his and Hermione's heads, while Ron and Liza dashed around the table to join them. They all backed into a corner of the hut, while Fang continued to bark at the door.

"Hagrid, hide our mugs!" Liza said desperately, trying to keep quiet. Hagrid quickly cleared the mugs from the table and went to the door. He pushed Fang away and opened it.

It was Professor Umbridge, wrapped in a large cloak and wearing a hat, mittens, and scarf.

"_So_," she began, speaking loudly as though she either didn't think Hagrid could hear her because of their height differences or because he was unintelligent. "You're Hagrid, are you?" She stepped past Hagrid into the hut. Fang bounded up to her, and she snarled, "Get away," and waved her purse at the dog.

"Er—I don' want ter be rude," Hagrid said, "but who the ruddy hell are you?" Liza covered her mouth with her hand to stop her snigger.

"My name is Dolores Umbridge," Umbridge introduced herself. She was looking all around Hagrid's cabin, barely glancing at the gamekeeper.

"Dolores Umbridge?" Hagrid repeated. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry—don' you work for Fudge?"

"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes," Umbridge explained. "I am now the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—"

"Tha's brave of yeh," Hagrid commented, "there's not many'd take tha' job anymore—"

"—and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," Umbridge finished, ignoring him.

"Wha's that?" Hagrid asked.

"Precisely what I was going to ask," Umbridge said, gesturing to Hermione's broken mug on the floor.

"Oh," Hagrid said, glancing back at where the four Gryffindors were hidden under the Cloak, "oh, tha' was…was Fang. He broke a mug. So I had ter use this one instead." He pointed out the mug still on the table, the one he had been using.

"I heard voices," Umbridge said abruptly.

"I was talkin' ter Fang," Hagrid replied.

"And was he talking back to you?" Umbridge asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well…in a manner o' speakin'," Hagrid answered. "I sometimes say Fang's near enough human—"

"There are four sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," Umbridge added. Hermione let out a gasp, and Harry quickly threw his hand over her mouth. Umbridge didn't take any notice.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back," Hagrid said. "Maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed 'em."

"There are no footsteps leading away from your cabin door," Umbridge said.

"Well I…I don' know why that'd be…" Hagrid stammered. He glanced back at where the others were hiding again. "Erm…"

Umbridge took it upon herself to search through Hagrid's cabin. She looked under the bed and the table, and she even checked the cupboards. At one point she was only a few inches from Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza.

"What happened to you?" Umbridge asked, turning back to the man when she was finished with her search. "How did you sustain those injuries?" Hagrid pulled the steak from his black eye, which wasn't helping his case at all.

"Oh, I…had a bit of an accident," he said.

"What sort of accident?" Umbridge questioned.

"I-I tripped," Hagrid stuttered.

"You tripped," Umbridge echoed, sounding unconvinced.

"Yeah, that's right," Hagrid said quickly. "Over…over a friend's broomstick. I don' fly meself. Well, look at the size o' me, I don' reckon there's a broomstick that'd hold me. Friend o' mine breeds Abraxan horses, I dunno if you've ever seen 'em, big beasts, winged, yeh know, I've had a bit of a ride on one o' them an' it was—"

"Where have you been?" Umbridge cut him off.

"Where've I…?" Hagrid asked faintly.

"Been, yes," Umbridge finished briskly. "Term started more than two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?" Liza clenched her teeth together to stop her from saying anything.

"I—I've been away for me health," Hagrid said vaguely.

"For your health," Umbridge repeated. "I see."

"Yeah," Hagrid continued, "bit o'—o' fresh air, yeh know—"

"Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," Umbridge sneered.

"Well—change o' scene, yeh know—" Hagrid said.

"Mountain scenery?" Umbridge asked immediately. Hermione grabbed at Liza's arm, who nodded back at her friend. _Did Umbridge know what Hagrid had been doing?_

"Mountains?" Hagrid echoed. "Nope, South of France for me. Bit o' sun an'…an' sea."

"Really?" Umbridge said. "You don't have much of a tan."

"Yeah…well…sensitive skin," Hagrid replied. Umbridge continued to scrutinize the man for a moment longer. Then she hitched her purse into the crook of her elbow.

"I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return," she said briskly.

"Righ'," Hagrid said.

"You ought to know too that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers," Umbridge continued. "So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough." She moved to the door.

"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid asked.

"Oh yes," Umbridge said, looking back at him. "The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night." Then she left, shutting the door firmly behind her. Harry went to pull the Cloak off of them, but Hermione stopped him.

"Not yet," she whispered. "She might not be gone yet."

Hagrid went to the window by the front door and gazed out of it.

"She's goin' back ter the castle," he reported in a quiet voice. "Blimey…inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yeah," Harry answered, pulling the Cloak off. "Trelawney's on probation already…"

"Um…what sort of thing are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned," Hagrid said, giving them a genuine smile. "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year, you wait, they're somethin' really special."

"Erm…special in what way?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sayin'," Hagrid said stubbornly. "I don' want ter spoil the surprise."

"Look, Hagrid," Liza said, "that Umbridge woman won't be happy at all if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous—"

"Dangerous?" Hagrid repeated, chuckling. "Don' be silly, I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ', they can look after themselves—"

"Hagrid, you've got to pass Umbridge's inspection," Liza said urgently.

"Yes, and it would really be better if she saw you teaching us how to look after porlocks, how to tell the difference between knarls and hedgehogs, stuff like that!" Hermione added.

"But tha's not very interestin', Hermione," Hagrid complained. "The stuff I've got's much more impressive, I've bin bringin' 'em on fer years, I reckon I've got the on'y domestic herd in Britain—"

"Hagrid…please…" Liza moaned. "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our O.W.L…."

"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," Hagrid yawned. Hermione and Liza gave him exasperated looks, and he waved a hand dismissively at them. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back… Now you lot had better get back up ter the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

They slowly began the walk back up to the castle. Hermione was in the back, using an Obliteration Charm to cover their footprints.

"I dunno if you got through to him," Ron said as they shuffled through the snow.

"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," Hermione said firmly. "I'll plan his lessons for him if I have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney but she's not taking Hagrid!"

**~LJ:NK~**


	17. Chapter 17 Mistletoe

_**A/N: I'm sorry that it's been a while! But here's a new chapter for anyone still interested in reading.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 17 – Mistletoe**

The next morning, Hermione went back down to Hagrid's hut while Ron and Harry stayed in the dormitory to work on their large amount of homework. Liza, on the other hand, joined John on the grounds to go ice skating on the lake.

"You've never been ice skating before?" John asked as he took his wand out.

"No," Liza replied. "I like to stay inside when it gets cold out, you know." John chuckled.

"Alright, hold one of your feet up," he instructed. Liza grabbed his shoulder for support and lifted one of her boots out of the snow. John waved his wand and a jet of ice came out of the end, forming into a blade attached to Liza's boot.

"Wow," Liza said in awe. "Have you done this before?"

"Yeah," John answered, gesturing at her to put her other foot up. "My mother taught me how to do this. She used to take me ice skating all the time." He conjured another ice blade onto Liza's other boot. "There you go," he said, smiling. Then he quickly performed the spell onto his own boots. "Ready?" he asked.

"I—maybe," Liza said. She was a little nervous, having never gone skating before. John waved his wand one last time, clearing the snow from the ice.

"C'mon," John said. He stepped out on the ice and held out his hand to Liza. She took it and followed him onto the ice. With John guiding, they skated a few feet away from the shore.

"This is brilliant," Liza said, slowly getting the hang of it.

"Yeah?" John asked, his face lighting up. "Do you want to try on your own?"

"Okay," Liza agreed. She dropped John's hand and continued to glide on the ice. Every so often her foot would slip a bit, but she never fell down. When she was a little ways away from John, she looked at him over her shoulder to see him watching her with a smile on his face.

"You're doing great," he said. Then he took off, skating a lot faster than Liza had the courage to try. He made a giant arc and was soon rejoining her.

"So your mom took you ice skating when you were a kid, then?" Liza asked as John came to a stop in front of her.

"Yeah," John replied. He took both of her hands in his and started to skate backwards, pulling her with him. "She said that she and her sisters grew up skating on the pond at her parents' house in France. The pond was magically made into ice all year long."

"You are really good at this, by the way," Liza commented as he pulled her along.

"Thank you," John said, slowing to a stop. He pulled her into his arms, and she put her hands behind his neck. "I think I'm going to snog you," he added with a half-smile.

"I'd be okay with that," Liza said. John lowered his mouth onto hers and gave her a long kiss.

**~LJ:NK~**

After spending a few hours outside, Liza and John decided to go inside to warm up. They parted in the Entrance Hall after sharing another kiss. Liza trooped back up to Gryffindor tower and entered the common room to find Harry and Ron sitting at a table, surrounded by books.

"How's the homework coming?" she asked, pausing to stand in front of the table.

"Slowly," Harry answered. Ron just grunted.

"All right," Liza said. "Well, I'm going to run upstairs to put my winter things away. Is Hermione back from Hagrid's?"

"Not yet," Harry replied. Liza nodded and then went up to her dormitory to hang her winter coat and scarf up. She changed out of her boots and into her tennis shoes, and then she went back down to the common room. Rejoining Harry and Ron, she dropped into one of the extra chairs.

A few minutes later, Hermione stomped into the common room, the bottoms of her robes wet with snow.

"So?" Ron asked as Hermione joined them. "Got all his lessons planned for him?"

"Well, I tried," Hermione said, sitting down. She pulled her wand out and waved it. Warm air came out of the end of it, and she pointed it towards the bottoms of her robes to dry them off. "He wasn't even there when I arrived, I was knocking for at least half an hour. And then he came stumping out of the forest—" Harry let out a groan.

"What's he keeping in there?" he asked. "Did he say?"

"No," Hermione replied. "He says he wants them to be a surprise. I tried to explain about Umbridge, but he just doesn't get it. He kept saying nobody in their right mind would rather study knarls than chimaeras—oh I don't think he's _got_ a chimaera," she added quickly as Harry, Ron, and Liza eyes widened, "but that's not for lack of trying from what he said about how hard it is to get eggs… I don't know how many times I told him he'd be better off following Grubbly-Plank's plan, I honestly don't think he listened to half of what I said. He's in a bit of a funny mood, you know. He still won't say how he got all those injuries…"

"I wonder how the other students are going to react to him," Liza said.

The next morning, there were different reactions from the student body at Hagrid's return. There were some people who seemed very enthusiastic to see the gamekeeper back, going up to him and shaking his hand. There were others, however, who seemed a bit put out that he was back. Liza knew it was because they preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons.

The fifth-year Gryffindors didn't have Care of Magical Creatures until Tuesday. That morning, bundled up against the cold, they trudged through the snow. There was no sign of Umbridge as they neared Hagrid, who was standing along the edge of the forest. Liza was walking with John, just ahead of Ron, Harry, Hermione, and the rest of the class.

"Is that…a dead cow?" Liza asked John, looking at the dead animal that Hagrid had slung over his shoulder. John shrugged.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid announced as the class gathered around. He gestured to the forest. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark…"

"What prefers the dark?" Liza heard Malfoy asked quietly. "What did he say prefers the dark—did you hear?"

"What's wrong, Malfoy, afraid of going into the forest?" Liza asked, looking over her shoulder at the Slytherin boy. "Don't you remember when we had detention in here? Oh, right—you were a scared little worm then, too." Malfoy flushed angrily but didn't say anything back.

"Ready?" Hagrid asked. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em—"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Malfoy interrupted, sounding nervous. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," Liza said, rolling her eyes.

"'Course they're trained," Hagrid said.

"So what happened to your face, then?" Malfoy asked.

"Mind yer own business!" Hagrid snapped. "Now if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!" He turned and headed into the forest. The rest of the class seemed uneasy.

"Come on, you bunch of chickens," Liza sighed, quickly following after Hagrid. She heard the rest of the class walking behind her. Liza had been in the forest a few times now, and she wasn't very scared of it anymore, especially during the day and with Hagrid.

About ten minutes later, Hagrid finally stopped in an area dense with trees. He dropped the dead cow onto the ground and took a few steps back. The class edged closer to the half-giant.

"Gather 'round, gather 'round," Hagrid said. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me…" Then he threw his head back and let out a piercing shriek that echoed through the trees. After a moment or two of silence, he did it once more.

A minute went by as the class looked around to try and see what, if anything, was coming. Hagrid looked like he was going to make the call again, but he stopped suddenly, looking intently at the dead cow. Liza furrowed her brow; she couldn't see anything. But then she could see that bits of the cow were disappearing, as though something was eating it.

"Hagrid," she said loudly. "Hagrid, what's doing that?" Most of the class looked around in confusion.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" Hagrid said. "Now…put yer hands up, who can see 'em?" Harry, Neville, and a Slytherin boy named Theodore Nott rose their hands. "Yeah…yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," Hagrid said. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'—"

"Excuse me," Malfoy spoke up, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

"Look at the cow, you idiot," Liza said. The class looked at the cow, and after a moment, there were several shrieks.

"What's doing it?" Parvati asked as bits of the cow continued to disappear. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," Hagrid answered, sounding pleased.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped.

"Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows—?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" Parvati said. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once—"

"No, no, no," Hagrid said, waving her off. Liza exchanged a glanced with Hermione at the mention of Trelawney. "Tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate—an' here's another couple, look—"

"I think I felt something, I think it's near me!" Parvati whispered hoarsely.

"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," Hagrid assured her. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?" Hermione immediately raised her hand, and Hagrid said, "Go on then."

"The only people who can see thestrals are people who have seen death," Hermione answered.

"Tha's exactly right," Hagrid said, "ten points to Gryffindor. Now, thestrals—"

"_Hem, hem_."

Liza repressed a groan and quickly took hold of John's hand. He squeezed hers gently. Professor Umbridge had arrived in the clearing, but Hagrid hadn't seen her.

"_Hem, hem_," Umbridge fake-coughed again.

"Oh hello!" Hagrid said, finally noticing the woman.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" Umbridge asked, speaking loudly and slowly, as though she thought Hagrid couldn't understand her. "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh yeah," Hagrid said. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see—or, I dunno—can you? We're doin' thestrals today—"

"I'm sorry?" Umbridge interrupted. She put her hand behind one of her ears, like she was having trouble hearing, and asked, "What did you say?" Hagrid frowned in confusion.

"Er—_thestrals_!" Hagrid repeated. "Big—er—winged horses, yeh know!" Umbridge looked down at her clipboard.

"_Has…to…resort…to…crude…sign…language_…" she muttered as she wrote. Liza clenched her teeth, squeezing John's hand a bit harder.

"Well…anyway…" Hagrid said, still clearly confused. He turned back to the classes and said, "Erm…what was I sayin'?"

"_Appears…to…have…poor…short…term…memory…_," Umbridge said, writing more on her clipboard. Liza looked at Harry, who was doing his best to stay quiet.

"Oh yeah," Hagrid said, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted what seemed to be thin air, but Liza knew there must be a thestral standing there, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favorite, firs' one born here in the forest—"

"Are you aware," Umbridge interrupted, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?" Hagrid let out a little laugh.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous!" he exclaimed. "All righ', they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them—"

"_Shows…signs…of…pleasure…at…idea…of…violence…_" Umbridge said, writing on her clipboard.

"No—come on!" Hagrid said. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it—but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing—people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

"Hear, hear," Liza mumbled under her breath.

"Please continue teaching as usual," Umbridge instructed, looking up from her clipboard and ignoring Hagrid's last statement. "I am going to walk," she mimed walking, "among the students," she pointed around at some of the members of the class, "and ask them questions." She pointed at her own mouth.

Liza looked at Hermione, whose eyes were glistening with angry tears. Umbridge moved into a group of Slytherins.

"You hag, you evil hag!" Hermione hissed. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious—"

"'Mione," Liza whispered, nudging her friend, who was getting a bit louder.

"Erm…anyway," Hagrid said from the front of the class, "so—thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' them…"

"Do you find," Umbridge began in a loud voice, standing next to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?" Pansy looked like she was about to die of laughter.

"No…because…" she said, trying not to laugh, "well…it sounds…like grunting a lot of the time…" Umbridge wrote something else on her clipboard.

"Hagrid does not grunt!" Liza finally burst out. "Maybe if you actually paid attention in class, you'd know that, Parkinson!" Pansy narrowed her eyes at Liza, but Umbridge didn't even look up. Hagrid looked flustered.

"Er…yeah…good stuff abou' thestrals," he tried to continue. "Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' senses o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go—"

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," Malfoy added loudly. Pansy let herself giggle out loud, and Umbridge smiled at the two Slytherins. Then she moved on to Neville.

"You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she asked him. Neville nodded, and she added, "Whom did you see die?"

"My…my granddad," Neville answered.

"And what do you think of them?" Umbridge asked, gesturing to the dead cow that had been nearly eaten.

"Erm," Neville stuttered, glancing at Hagrid. "Well, they're…er…okay…"

"_Students…are…too…intimidated…to…admit…they…are…frightened…_" Umbridge said as she wrote on her clipboard.

"No!" Neville said. "No, I'm not scared of them—!"

"It's quite all right," Umbridge cut in. "Well, Hagrid," she continued, turning back to the professor, "I think I've got enough to be getting along with… You will receive," she mimed picking up something from thin air, "the results of your inspection," she pointed at her clipboard, "in ten days' time." She held up all ten of her fingers. Then, smiling widely, she turned and left. Malfoy, Pansy, and their friends were still giggling, while Hermione and Liza looked about ready to murder them.

Half an hour later, when class was finished, they all trooped back up to the castle. Liza was seething with Hermione, while John, Harry, and Ron hurried to keep up with them.

"That foul, lying, twisting old gargoyle!" Hermione raged. "You see what she's up to?"

"It's her thing about half-breeds all over again," Liza said, nodding. "She's trying to make it seem like Hagrid's some kind of dim-witted toll, just because his mother was a giantess."

"I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again, but thestrals are fine," Hermione continued. "In fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"

"Umbridge said they're dangerous," Ron pointed out.

"Well, it's like Hagrid said, they can look after themselves," Hermione said, "and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to use before N.E.W.T. level, but, well, they _are _very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."

"Do you?" Harry spoke up. Hermione blanched.

"Oh Harry—I'm sorry," she said quickly. "No, of course I don't—that was a really stupid thing to say—"

"It's okay," Harry assured her, "don't worry…"

"I'm surprised so many people _could_ see them," Ron commented. "Three in a class—"

"Yeah, Weasley, we were just wondering," a voice came from behind them. They all turned to see Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle approaching them. "D'you reckon if you saw someone snuff it you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"

"You know, I was going to ask you the same thing about the Snitch, Malfoy," John spoke up, surprising everyone. Malfoy shot an annoyed look at John before stalking off towards the castle.

"Brilliant," Liza said, grinning at John. Hermione, meanwhile, had pulled her wand out and started blowing hot air to clear them a path towards the greenhouses.

"Thank you," John answered, pulling Liza into a brief hug. "I'll see you later, okay?" He gave her a kiss before continuing up to the castle. Liza, feeling much better, turned and followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione across the lawn.

**~LJ:NK~**

December brought more snow to the Hogwarts grounds, and Christmas was fast approaching. Hermione and Ron were swamped with prefect duties, as they had to help decorate the castle and patrol the corridors. Harry was finally getting on top of his homework now that he was keeping his temper in check around Umbridge and he no longer had Quidditch practices.

One day in early December, Ginny came up to Hermione and Liza while they were finishing up some homework.

"Mum just sent an owl," she reported, plopping down into an empty chair. "She's invited both of you to our house for Christmas this year."

"I'm actually going on holiday with my parents this year," Hermione said. "I figured since I didn't get to see them over the summer, I should spend some time with them for Christmas."

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, looking interested.

"We're going skiing," Hermione replied.

"You're what?" Ginny asked, sounding confused.

"Skiing," Hermione repeated. Ginny looked over at Liza, still unsure of what Hermione was talking about.

"Skiing is a Muggle thing," Liza explained, "and it's essentially putting two long, thin planks of wood on your feet and riding on them down a hill."

"Oh," Ginny said. "I hope you have a good time, then."

"Thanks," Hermione answered.

"Well, I would love to spend time with your family," Liza said, smiling at Ginny. "Is Harry invited too?"

"Yeah," Ginny said. "I told Ron to ask Harry."

The fact that Liza would be spending Christmas at the Burrow with the Weasleys brightened the rest of the term for her.

A few days later, Liza was sitting with Ron, Harry, and Hermione in the common room when Christmas was brought up again.

"Where are you going for holidays again, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I'm going skiing with my parents," Hermione answered. "It's going to be a lovely break from school."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ron groaned. "It'll be so nice to be away from here for a while."

"So how are you getting home?" Harry asked. Liza frowned at him.

"Are you not coming, too?" she asked.

"Not that I know of," Harry said slowly.

"But you _are_ coming too!" Ron exclaimed. "Didn't I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you days ago!" Hermione rolled her eyes, and Liza sighed.

"You forgot to ask him, didn't you?" Liza said, shaking her head.

"Maybe," Ron muttered.

**~LJ:NK~**

There was one last D.A. meeting before the holidays began. Liza accompanied Harry to the Room of Requirement early. They entered the room to find it full of Christmas decorations.

"What is this?" Liza asked, looking around in awe. There were about a hundred golden ornaments hanging from the ceiling. Harry went up to the nearest one and examined it. He groaned.

"What's wrong?" Liza was quick to ask.

"My face are on these," Harry muttered, flushing slightly. "Dobby must have decorated the place up. Who else would hang baubles with my face on them?"

"The Creevey brothers," Liza replied jokingly. Harry chuckled.

"Will you help me take them down?" he asked. "The rest of it can stay up, but I don't want a hundred pictures of my face hanging from the ceiling…" A large box appeared, thanks to the room, and Harry and Liza began to pull the ornaments from the ceiling and throw them in the box.

They had just finished when Luna Lovegood entered the room.

"Hello," she said, looking around at the decorations. "These are nice, did you put them up?"

"No," Harry answered, "it was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," Luna commented, gesturing to the plant hanging just above Harry's head. Harry quickly stepped out from underneath it, and Luna added, "Good thinking. It's often infested with nargles." Liza and Harry exchanged a confused glance, but before either of them could say anything, the door opened again. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia stomped into the room, their cheeks red from the cold.

"Well, we've replaced you," Angelina said to Harry, pulling off her cloak.

"Replaced me?" Harry echoed.

"You and Fred and George," she clarified. "We've got another Seeker!"

"Who?" Harry asked at once.

"Ginny Weasley," Katie answered.

"All right, good for her!" Liza exclaimed, smiling. Harry looked surprised.

"Yeah, I know," Angelina said to him. "But she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course, but as we can't have you…" She trailed off, giving him a hard look, and Harry turned away from her.

"And what about the Beaters?" he asked.

"Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper," Alicia replied. "Neither of them are brilliant, but compared with the rest of the idiots who turned up…"

The door to the room opened again, signaling the arrival of Hermione, Neville, and Ron. Harry moved away from the Gryffindor Chasers to greet his friends. The rest of the D.A. arrived within the next few minutes, and soon Harry was calling for their attention.

"Okay," he started. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break—"

"We're not doing anything new?" Zacharias interrupted. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…"

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," Fred said. Liza snorted, and some of the other members giggled as well.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry continued. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

John and Liza paired off as usual, sharing a quick peck on the lips before stepping back from each other with their wands at the ready. For the next ten minutes, they took turns practice the spell, which would freeze a person for about a minute.

Next, Harry had them practicing Stunning. Neville joined John and Liza so Harry could walk amongst the others.

"C'mon, Neville," Liza said, standing opposite her fellow Gryffindor. "Give me all you got." Neville took a deep breath.

"_Stupefy_!" he shouted. The spell hit Liza in the chest and she fell backwards onto some of the cushions. She struggled to stand again, but when she got to her feet, she smiled broadly at Neville.

"That was excellent, Nev!" she exclaimed, hurrying across the room and throwing her arms around him. Neville looked flustered but thanked her.

At the end of the hour, Harry called everyone's attention back to him.

"You're getting really good," he said to them, a genuine smile on his face. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff—maybe even Patronuses." There was a murmur of happy agreement around the room. "So, great work everyone—have a Happy Christmas."

The students began to leave the room in small groups, wishing Harry and each other Merry Christmas as they left.

"Liza," John said, grinning at her. He pointed above her head and said, "Mistletoe." Liza rolled her eyes and pulled him close to her by the front of his robes. They shared a brief kiss, and then John left for the Slytherin common room with Mary.

Soon, Liza, Ron, and Hermione were left with Harry, Cho Chang, and her friend Marietta. Hermione and Liza exchanged a knowing glance.

"We're going to head back to the common room, Harry," Liza said.

"Yeah, we'll see you later," Hermione added. The girls tugged on the sleeves on Ron's robes to get his attention. He protested for a moment, but at the girls' insistence, he followed them out into the corridor.

"I don't know why we couldn't wait for Harry," Ron mumbled as they set off for the Gryffindor common room.

"We just thought he might like a private moment with Cho," Liza said evenly.

"Why?" Ron asked blankly.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Ron," Hermione said. They reached the portrait and gave the Fat Lady the password. The three of them gathered something to occupy their time and sat in front of the fireplace to wait for Harry to get back.

Half an hour later, Harry stumbled in through the portrait hole. He walked directly over to his friends and sat down in an armchair. Hermione and Liza were sitting on the sofa, and Ron was sprawled out on his stomach on the floor.

"What's kept you?" Ron asked, looking up from his Transfiguration homework. Harry seemed either unable or unwilling to talk.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked after a moment of silence. Harry shrugged.

"What's up?" Ron demanded, pushing himself up to see his friend. "What's happened?"

"Is it Cho?" Liza burst out when Harry still wouldn't say anything.

"Did she corner you after the meeting?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded, looking slightly embarrassed. Ron let out a chuckle that he stifled when Hermione and Liza glared at him.

"So—er—what did she want?" he asked instead.

"She—" Harry began, his voice rough. He cleared his throat. "She—er—"

"Did you kiss?" Liza asked eagerly, bouncing slightly on the couch cushion. Ron immediately flew into a sitting position, knocking his bottle of ink over in the process.

"Well?" he asked impatiently. Harry looked at all three of them before nodding.

"HA!" Ron shouted, falling into a fit of laughter that had some other Gryffindors nearby looking at him in concern. Liza squealed, jumped up, and threw her arms around her brother.

"I'm so happy for you!" she practically shouted in his ear. "I _knew_ something was going to happen between the two of eventually!" Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Well? How was it?" Ron asked as his breathing returned to normal.

"Wet," Harry replied after a pause.

"Wet?" Liza echoed.

"Because she was crying," Harry added.

"Oh," Ron said. "Are you that bad at kissing?"

"Dunno," Harry answered. "Maybe I am."

"Of course you're not," Hermione spoke up, still bent over her parchment.

"How do you know?" Ron said, sounding accusatory.

"Because Cho spends half her time crying these days," Hermione answered. "She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place."

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up," Ron quipped.

"Ron," Liza scolded.

"You are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet," Hermione said disgustedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked. "What sort of person cries while someone's kissing them?"

"Yeah, who does?" Harry asked, sounding worried.

"Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" Hermione said, sitting up straight and putting her quill down.

"Of course they don't," Liza answered for the boys.

"What Liza said," Ron said.

"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying," Hermione began. "Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly." Liza stifled a laughed at the astonished looks on Ron's and Harry's faces.

"One person can't feel all that at once," Ron insisted, "they'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," Hermione said.

"She was the one who started it," Harry said defensively. "I wouldn't've—she just sort of came at me—and next thing she's crying all over me—I didn't know what to do—"

"Don't blame you, mate," Ron said, both his eyebrows raised.

"You just had to be nice to her," Liza said, shrugging. "You were, weren't you?"

"Well," Harry said, flushing, "I sort of—patted her on the back a bit." Liza sighed.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," she said. "Are you going to see her again?"

"I'll have to, won't I?" Harry pointed out. "We've got D.A. meetings, haven't we?"

"You know what I mean," Liza said, rolling her eyes.

There was silence as Harry soaked up these words.

"Oh well," Hermione finally said, breaking the silence, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her…"

"What if he doesn't want to ask her?" Ron asked.

"Don't be silly, Harry's liked her for the longest time, haven't you, Harry?" Liza said. Ron looked doubtful, and Harry gazed into the fire, avoiding Ron's eyes.

"Who're you writing the novel to anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, changing the subject.

"Viktor," Hermione answered simply.

"_Krum_?" Ron asked.

"How many other Viktors do we know?" Hermione asked impatiently. Ron, looking a bit upset, returned to his Transfiguration work as Hermione finished up her letter.

"In all seriousness, are you okay, Harry?" Liza asked.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, still staring into the fire. Liza decided to leave the matter alone for now.

Twenty minutes later, Hermione rolled up the parchment that her letter was written on and stood from the couch.

"I'm off to bed," she announced. "Night, Harry, Ron. Liza, are you coming?"

"I'm right behind you," Liza answered. "Night, boys." She got up from the couch as well and followed Hermione from the common room and up the girls' staircase.

"Well, this was certainly an interesting night," Liza commented as the girls climbed.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Harry was a bit hopeless, though, wasn't he?"

"Don't be too hard on him," Liza said. "He's never had a girlfriend before. He doesn't know what he should do about it. I don't blame him for not knowing what to do about a crying Cho throwing herself at him."

"I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Hermione added.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: So, fun fact. I don't know how many people know this (it was in an A/N in the first story, but that particular A/N may have been deleted when I reposted that story) but John McDevlyn is actually an OC of mine from an original fiction that has never seen the light of day. In that 'universe', John was very big into hockey, it was one of his favorite things to do, so I decided to incorporate that into this story with the ice skating part at the beginning. It was also a chance to add some light relationship stuff into the story, it gives John a bit more to his character, and it helped lengthen the chapter. So I hope you all enjoyed that bit at the beginning!**_


	18. Chapter 18 The Scariest Night

_**A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**_

**Chapter 18 – The Scariest Night of the Weasleys' Lives **

Liza felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes when she was roused. She quickly sat up, startled, before realizing that Professor McGonagall was standing next to her bed.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss Jones, but I must ask you to come with me," the professor stated quietly.

"What's happened?" Liza asked immediately, feeling frozen in place.

"I will explain in a moment," Professor McGonagall replied sternly. "I really must ask you to follow me." Liza slipped out of her bed and shoved her feet into her tennis shoes before following Professor McGonagall out of her dormitory.

When they reached the common room, Liza found Fred, George, and Ginny standing in the middle of the room looking bewildered and only half-awake.

"Come along," Professor McGonagall said simply, striding to the portrait hole. The four students clamored after her.

"Professor, where are we going?" Fred asked as they hurried down the hall.

"We are going to Professor Dumbledore's office," Professor McGonagall answered. "It seems that Potter had a dream of your father being injured."

"WHAT!?" Fred and George yelped, while Ginny let out a little squeak. Liza also gasped, her heart rate increasing. Mr. Weasley had been injured?

"What does that mean?" George demanded, but Professor McGonagall shook her head.

"You'll have to wait until we get to Professor Dumbledore's office," she stated simply. "He will be able to explain everything."

They walked in silence the rest of the way, and when they reached a gargoyle at the end of a corridor, Professor McGonagall gave a password. The gargoyle jumped aside, and the wall behind it disappeared, revealing a set of spiral stairs that were slowly moving upward. Professor McGonagall led the four Gryffindors onto the stairs, and soon they were at the door to Dumbledore's office.

Professor McGonagall pushed the door open, and Fred, George, Ginny, and Liza filed inside. There they found Harry and Ron sitting in chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore was standing in front of one of the portraits hanging behind his chair. Harry and Ron hurriedly stood up.

"Harry!" Liza exclaimed, running to her brother and throwing her arms around him.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked as she and the twins joined Liza, Harry, and Ron in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt—"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore spoke up. They all looked up at him. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" Fred asked. "Floo powder?"

"No," Dumbledore answered, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He pointed to a kettle that was sitting on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back… I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you—"

Suddenly there was a flash of light in front of Dumbledore. It lasted only for a second, and then there was a golden feather floating to the floor. Dumbledore reached out and caught it.

"It is Fawkes's warning," Dumbledore explained. "She must know you're out of your beds… Minerva, go and head her off—tell her any story—" Professor McGonagall was gone in an instant.

"He says he'll be delighted," a strange voice said. Liza looked around to see a figure entering a portrait behind Dumbledore. "My great-great-grandson has always had odd taste in houseguests…"

"Come here, then," Dumbledore instructed to Harry, Liza, and the Weasleys. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us…"

Liza stepped up to Dumbledore's desk with the others. Dumbledore turned his head and met Liza's eyes, and Liza immediately understood that he wanted her to keep an eye on Harry. She dipped her head.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" Dumbledore asked, looking down at the kettle. The six students nodded and each put a finger on the Portkey. "Good. On the count of three then…one…two…_three_."

Liza felt as though she were being pulled off the ground. Her finger was stuck to the Portkey, and she could feel Harry's and George's shoulders banging into hers.

Then, just as suddenly, they were slamming onto a stone floor. All six of them fell over.

"Back again, the blood traitor brats, is it true their father's dying…?" a voice croaked nearby.

"OUT!" another loud voice shouted. Liza looked up to see her godfather hurrying over to them as Kreacher slumped out of the room.

"What's going on?" he asked, hauling Liza to her feet. Then he extended a hand to pull Ginny up, as well, as the boys picked themselves up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured—"

"Ask Harry," Fred said.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," George added.

"It was—" Harry began, looking anxious. "I had a—a kind of vision…" Then he went on to tell them how he'd seen a giant snake attack Mr. Weasley. Liza put one of her hands to her mouth as Harry finished his story. There was a moment of silence while Fred, George, and Ginny stared at Harry.

"Is Mum here?" Fred asked eventually, looking over at Sirius.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," Sirius said. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," Ginny spoke up, looking around at the others. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything—?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" Sirius exclaimed.

"'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," Fred said hotly, "he's our dad!"

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?" Sirius asked.

"What does it matter?" George shot back.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" Sirius replied. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?" There was a beat of silence while Fred and George glowered at Sirius.

"Somebody else could have told us…" Ginny said weakly. "We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry…"

"Like who?" Sirius asked impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's—"

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" Fred cried.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" George added angrily.

"Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" Sirius said. "This is how it is—this is why you're not in the Order—you don't understand—there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" Fred yelled. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

"SHUT! UP!" Liza shouted at him. She was livid, and she could feel her hands shaking. She clenched them into fists as Fred and George rounded on her. "Just shut up. Sirius is right, and you know it."

"But this is our _dad_ we're talking about," Fred said.

"You don't understand," George added.

"No, you're right, I don't," Liza replied. "I don't understand because my father was killed when I was a year old, and my adoptive dad is across the ocean in another country. But if you think we don't give a damn about your dad being injured, then you really don't know us very well." She crossed the room to stand next to Sirius and crossed her arms over her chest. Sirius took a shaky breath before speaking.

"I know it's hard," he said, "but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?" One by one, the Weasleys took a seat at the kitchen table, and Sirius said, "That's right, come on, let's all…let's all have a drink while we're waiting. _Accio Butterbeer!_"

Four butterbeers slid across the table to each of the Weasleys, and three other ones flew through the air to Harry, Liza, and Sirius. Harry took his bottle and sat down at the table next to Ron.

"Liza, come over here," Sirius murmured. Liza followed her godfather to the other side of the room. She sunk down onto a stool, and Sirius immediately asked, "Are you all right?"

"No," Liza replied, holding her butterbeer limply in her hand. "I can't believe Fred would say that to you. He knows why you're here and not out 'risking your neck'. He knows that you would give anything to leave this house and help out…"

"I'm not surprised," Sirius said. "They're worried about their father, it's only natural."

"It just proves to you and the others that we're too young," Liza said. "This is war we're talking about, people are bound to get hurt. The fact that they want to just rush off to the hospital without worrying about how suspicious it would look shows that we're not ready for this."

"I don't think anyone's ever ready for war," Sirius pointed out. Liza looked over at the Weasleys, who were sitting silently with their butterbeer bottles in hand.

"I know you said that there are things worth dying for," Liza murmured, "and I believe that. It's just hard because we don't know what Mr. Weasley was doing; all we know is that he was doing something for the Order."

"Is that not enough?" Sirius asked.

"No!" Liza said, although she chuckled when she said it. "When the people you love are risking their lives, it's nice to have an idea of what they're doing…"

Suddenly, there was a burst of flame, just like when Liza and the others were back in Dumbledore's office. Sirius jumped up and hurried over to the table, Liza hot on his heels. A scroll fell to the table, accompanied by a golden feather.

"Fawkes!" Sirius exclaimed. He grabbed the scroll and examined it quickly. "That's not Dumbledore's writing—it must be a message from your mother—here—" He passed the scroll to George, who was nearest. George tore it open and read it to the others.

_Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum._

"Still alive…" he said, looking up from the parchment. "But that makes it sound…" Liza put a comforting hand on George's shoulder, but nobody said anything else.

After a few minutes, Sirius suggested, "Maybe we should all go up and get some sleep." All four Weasleys glared at him, seemingly appalled that he would even think it was okay to go to sleep. Liza glanced at Harry, who was refusing to look at anyone.

Liza and Sirius again retreated from the Weasleys, leaving them to their own thoughts. Liza dropped down onto her stool again, and Sirius leaned against the wall.

"So how's Harry doing?" Sirius asked in a low voice.

"He's okay," Liza answered. She took a swig of butterbeer before continuing, "Ever since we formed the D.A. he's been a bit happier."

"The D.A.?" Sirius repeated.

"That undercover defense group we told you about," Liza said. "Dumbledore's Army." Sirius let out a chuckle.

"Who's idea was that?" he asked.

"Ginny's," Liza responded, looking over at the youngest Weasley. She had her feet pulled up under herself in her chair, staring at the low light of the fire. Liza turned back to her godfather and asked, "What's going to happen if Mr. Weasley doesn't get better?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. They were silent for a while after that, watching the Weasleys. Liza felt exhausted, but she couldn't imagine what Harry was thinking. He had seen the attack, after all.

"Sirius," Liza whispered. "How could Harry have seen Mr. Weasley attacked?"

"Dumbledore has a few theories," Sirius answered. Liza stared at him, confused. "Remember the dream Harry had last year? Where he saw Voldemort talking with Wormtail?"

"Before school started, you mean," Liza said, nodding. "Yeah, I remember."

"Dumbledore thinks there could be some connection between Harry and Voldemort because of the scar," Sirius explained quietly. "He thinks that Harry might be able to have visions about Voldemort because of that connection."

"That must be awful," Liza said, frowning. Sirius nodded his agreement.

Not much else was said for the next few hours. Liza simply watched the Weasleys and Harry. Every once in a while, one of the Weasleys would speak up, wondering what time it was or what was happening at the hospital.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the kitchen door opened. Mrs. Weasley entered the room, looking extremely tired. Liza sat up straight, and saw Fred, George, and Harry all do the same. A small smile formed on Mrs. Weasley's lips.

"He's going to be all right," she informed them. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now, he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred collapsed back into his chair, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. George and Ginny jumped up and ran to their mother, hugging her. Ron let out a relieved laugh before chugging the rest of his butterbeer.

"Breakfast!" Sirius announced, grabbing Liza by the elbow and steering her towards the stove. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!" A few seconds went by, but the elf didn't show up, and Sirius grumbled, "Oh, forget it, then. So it's breakfast for—let's see—eight… Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast—" Liza set straight to work on preparing tea, while Sirius got ready to cook the food.

Harry hurried over to help them, but Mrs. Weasley stopped him. She wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry," she sniffed. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story of Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise, look at poor Sturgis…" She let go of Harry, giving him a watery smile, before turning to Sirius.

"Thank you so much for letting the children stay here," she said.

"Oh, it was my pleasure," Sirius replied, dropping the bacon strips into a pan. "Anything to help. You are all welcome to stay here as long as Arthur's in the hospital, as well…"

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful," Mrs. Weasley said, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "They think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer… Of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas…"

"The more the merrier!" Sirius assured her, grinning widely. Mrs. Weasley smiled back, then picked up an extra apron and began to help with the breakfast.

"Sirius," Harry said, walking over to his godfather. "Can I have a quick word? Er—_now?_" Liza looked over at them as Sirius agreed. The two of them disappeared into the pantry.

"Oh, Liza dear, thank you so much for being here, too," Mrs. Weasley said to Liza, who was just finishing with the tea. "You can sit down with the others if you'd like, I can finished over here by myself."

"Okay, Mrs. Weasley," Liza replied. She picked up a stack of plates and carried them over to the table, making up eight places. Then she brought the tea over to the table, which the Weasley children helped themselves to.

A few minutes later, Harry and Sirius rejoined them. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius laid the food out along the table, and they all had a rather hearty breakfast.

"I want you all to go upstairs and get some sleep," Mrs. Weasley said firmly after George asked when they could go to the hospital. "We can visit your father after lunch, but I know you stayed up all night and you need the rest."

Nobody argued, and Liza followed Ginny up the stairs to the bedroom they had shared during the summer.

"Are you feeling all right, Gin?" Liza asked as they slipped under the covers of the beds.

"I was so scared," Ginny replied in a small voice. "I don't think I'll be fully okay until I can see Dad for myself."

"Well, get some rest," Liza said soothingly. "The faster you go to sleep, the faster lunch will come."

"Thank you," Ginny yawned.

"Sleep well," Liza said. Then she turned onto her side and fell fast asleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

Liza and Ginny woke up just before noon, and they both hurried downstairs to see if anyone else was up. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were in the kitchen, both looking a bit refreshed.

"Your trunks arrived from Hogwarts a few minutes ago," Mrs. Weasley informed the girls, pointing to the pile of trunks on the floor. There was a loud meow, and Liza looked down to see Boots rubbing against her legs.

"Boots!" Liza exclaimed, scooping her cat up into her arms. She nuzzled her face into the cat's fur. Boots let out another meow before squirming about. Liza let Boots climb onto her shoulders, and she could feel the cat's purrs against the back of her head.

Sirius and Mrs. Weasley helped to levitate everyone's trunks to their respectful bedrooms, and Liza and Ginny quickly changed into some comfortable Muggle clothing. Then they all went back to the kitchen and had a quick lunch.

Moody and Tonks showed up as they were finishing their meal. They were bickering over Tonks's pink hair, which Moody thought would bring them too much attention in Muggle London. The Weasley kids and Liza hurried to assure Moody that Tonks would be fine.

When they were finished with lunch, they bid good-bye to Sirius and started the journey to St. Mungo's. Liza walked between Fred and George, who were looking much happier now that they knew their father was going to be fine. Tonks led the way, followed by Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. Harry, Ron, and Moody brought up the rear.

Finally they came to an old department store. In the window there was nothing but a female dummy showing off a green dress. The sign on the door said CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT.

"It's _never_ open, that place…" a Muggle woman said to her friend as they walked by.

"Right," Tonks said, motioning for the rest of them to join her right next to the window. They all stepped up, and Tonks leaned so close to the glass that her breath left a foggy spot on it.

"Wotcher… We're here to see Arthur Weasley," she said to the dummy. The dummy then gave them a nod and crooked its finger at them, motioning for them to come forward. Tonks took hold of Mrs. Weasley's and Ginny's elbows and stepped right through the glass.

"Wow," Liza breathed before she felt Fred and George grab each of her arms and pull her forward. Liza shivered; walking through the glass felt like walking through a cold stream of water. When they emerged on the other side, however, she was warm and dry.

Liza glanced around the room they were now in. There were dozens of chairs, many of them occupied. A lot of the witches and wizards were making strange noises. Other witches and wizards, who were wearing bright green robes, bustled around the room, making notes on their clipboards.

"Are they doctors?" Liza heard Harry ask from behind her.

"Doctors?" Ron repeated. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."

"Over here!" Mrs. Weasley called, herding the group together. She led them to a desk with a sign that read INQUIRIES. There were a few other people ahead of them in line, so they waited patiently.

"It's these—ouch—shoes my brother gave me—ow," the wizard at the front of the line was saying to the witch at the desk. "They're eating my—OUCH—feet—look at them, there must be some kind of—AARGH—jinx on them and I can't—AAAAARGH—get them off—"

"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" the witch asked in an annoyed voice. She pointed to a sign next to her desk that Liza couldn't see. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!" The wizard awkwardly walked away, and the line moved forward.

The sign the witch had pointed to came into view, and Liza looked at it in interest.

_Artifact Accidents…Ground Floor  
>(Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.)<em>

_Creature-Induced Injuries…First Floor  
>(Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.)<em>

_Magical Bugs…Second Floor  
>(Contagious maladies, e.g., dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)<em>

_Potions and Plant Poisoning…Third Floor  
>(Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.)<em>

_Spell Damage…Fourth Floor  
>(Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc.)<em>

_Visitors' Tearoom and Hospital Shop…Fifth Floor_

_If you are unsure where to go, incapable of normal speech, or unable to remember why you are here, our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help._

"Ha," Liza muttered. "'Our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help,' my ass."

At the front of the line, an old man had hobbled forward and stated, "I'm here to see Broderick Bode!"

"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," the Welcome Witch said in a bored voice. "He's completely addled, you know, still thinks he's a teapot… Next!"

The next person in line was a man who was holding a young girl by the ankle as she flew around his head. A pair of wings were poking out of the little girl's back.

"Fourth floor," the Welcome Witch said before the man could say anything. "Next!"

Mrs. Weasley stepped up to the desk.

"Hello," she said to the witch. "My husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us—?"

"Arthur Weasley?" the witch interrupted, checking a list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Thank you," Mrs. Weasley said. "Come on, you lot." The six kids hurried to follow Mrs. Weasley, with Tonks and Moody close behind them. They walked down a corridor lined with portraits of famous Healers until they came to a set of stairs. They went up one floor and down the hall to the second door on the right, which had a sign that read "DANGEROUS" DAI LLEWELLYN WARD: SERIOUS BITES.

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks announced before they went inside. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once… It ought to be just the family first." Moody nodded his agreement, leaning against the opposite wall. Harry and Liza stepped away from the door, but Mrs. Weasley grabbed Liza by the arm and pushed her into the ward behind Ginny.

"You know Arthur thinks of you like a second daughter," Mrs. Weasley said. Then Liza heard her say, "Don't be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you…"

The room was rather small and dark, and there were only three patients inside. Mr. Weasley was at the end of the ward, sitting up in his bed and reading the _Daily Prophet_. He looked up from the paper when he heard their footsteps.

"Hello!" he said happily, tossing the _Prophet_ onto the bed. "Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later…"

"How are you, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked, kissing her husband on the cheek. "You're still looking a bit peaky…"

"I feel absolutely fine," Mr. Weasley replied. He reached out with his good arm to hug Ginny. "If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home."

"Why can't they take them off, Dad?" Fred asked as they crowded around the bed.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try," Mr. Weasley answered, sounding unconcerned. He picked up his wand and waved it. Seven chairs appeared around the bed, and the six kids and Mrs. Weasley took a seat.

"It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open," Mr. Weasley explained further when everyone was sitting. "They're sure they'll find an antidote, though, they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there." Mr. Weasley quickly lowered his voice as he pointed out one of the other patients in the room. "Bitten by a _werewolf_, poor chap. No cure at all."

"A werewolf?" Mrs. Weasley echoed, her eyes widening. "Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?"

"It's two weeks till the full moon," Mr. Weasley said. "They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him—didn't mention names, of course—but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage…"

"What did he say?" George asked.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up," Mr. Weasley said, shaking his head. "And that woman over _there_ won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, _very_ nasty smell when they take off the dressings."

"So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?" Fred asked, scooting closer to his father's bed.

"Well, you already know, don't you?" Mr. Weasley replied, smiling over at Harry. "It's very simple—I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on, and bitten."

"Is it in the _Prophet_, you being attacked?" Fred pressed.

"No, of course not," Mr. Weasley said, "the Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got—"

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley cut in swiftly.

"—got—er—me," Mr. Weasley quickly finished, although Liza was sure he had meant to say something else. He picked up the _Daily Prophet_ and said, "I was just reading about Willy Widdershins's arrest when you arrived. You know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets last summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded, and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage covered from head to foot in—"

"When you say you were 'on duty,'" Fred said impatiently, "what were you doing?"

"You heard your father," Mrs. Weasley hissed, "we are not discussing this here! Go on about Willy Widdershins, Arthur—"

"Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off on the toilet charge," Mr. Weasley continued. "I can only suppose gold changed hands—"

"You were guarding it, weren't you?" George interrupted. "The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who's after?"

"George, be quiet!" Mrs. Weasley admonished angrily.

"Anyway," Mr. Weasley continued, raising his voice, "this time Willy's been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles, and I don't think he'll be able to worm his way out of it because according to this article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St. Mungo's for emergency bone regrowth and memory modification. Just think of it, Muggles in St. Mungo's! I wonder which ward they're in?"

"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?" Fred asked, turning to Harry. "A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you?"

"That's enough," Mrs. Weasley said firmly. "Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside. You can come and say good-bye afterward. Go on…" The four Weasleys, Harry, and Liza rose from their chairs and went back out into the corridor. Moody and Tonks went in, shutting the door firmly behind them.

"Fine," Fred muttered, "be like that. Don't tell us anything." He began searching through his pockets.

"Looking for these?" George asked. In his hand were a bunch of Extendable Ears, and he was grinning widely.

"You read my mind," Fred replied. "Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?" He helped George to untangle the Extendable Ears, and they passed out one to each of the others. Only Harry hesitated to grab one.

"Go on, Harry, take it!" George demanded. "You saved Dad's life, if anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him, it's you…" Harry smiled and took the last Ear.

"Okay, go!" Fred said quietly. The six of them pushed the ends of the Ears under the door and waited to see if they could hear anything. A few seconds later, they picked up the adults' conversation.

"…they searched the whole area but they couldn't find the snake anywhere," Tonks was saying, "it just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur… But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," Moody said, "'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley answered. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this…"

"Yeah, well," Moody said, "there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that." Liza frowned.

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning," Mrs. Weasley said in a hushed voice.

"'Course he's worried," Moody scoffed. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake… Obviously Potter doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him…"

Liza whipped her head around to look at Harry, who had removed the Extendable Ear out of his own ear. He looked around at the others, speechless, and Liza could see the fear in his eyes.

_It can't be true,_ Liza thought. _There's no way You-Know-Who is possessing Harry…is there?_

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: Whew! Sorry the updates are a little slow, but I'm trying to get them done as fast as possible!**_


	19. Chapter 19 Christmas

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 19 – Christmas at the Noble House of Black**

The ride home from the hospital was tense. Unlike the Weasley kids, who didn't seem to want to look at Harry, Liza couldn't take her eyes off him. Mrs. Weasley asked him how he was feeling a few times, but he brushed her off.

When they reached Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Weasley sent Harry straight up to bed. Harry gladly trooped up the stairs, leaving the rest of them standing in the hallway. Mrs. Weasley was busy whispering with Tonks and Moody, so Liza slipped down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Sirius?" she called as she entered the room, but there was no sign of her godfather. She sighed and sat down at the table.

"Liza," a voice said after a few minutes. Liza looked up to see Ginny and Ron entering the room. "Are you all right?" The two red-heads sat down next to Liza.

"I'm worried about Harry," Liza confessed. "Do you think You-Know-Who could really be possessing him?"

"I'm not sure," Ginny said. "We could ask him about how he feels."

"What do you mean?" Liza asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if you remember," Ginny said, "but I spent quite a bit of time being possessed my first year. I remember what it feels like." Liza and Ron exchanged a glance.

"I need to talk to Sirius," Liza said. "We need to tell him what we overheard."

"What if he tells Mum?" Ron asked, looking worried. "If she knows that Fred and George have more Extendable Ears, she's going to go ballistic."

"I don't think Sirius would tell her," Liza said. "Besides, we don't have to tell him that we used Extendable Ears."

"Let's go find Sirius then," Ginny said, standing up. The three of them headed up the stairs and started checking rooms. They finally found Sirius in Buckbeak's room.

"Oh, welcome back," he said as the kids entered the room. "I didn't hear you return."

"It's probably because we didn't wake your mother's portrait," Ginny pointed out.

"We have something we need to tell you," Liza began. "We overheard Moody, Tonks, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking in the hospital. They say that Harry might be possessed by You-Know-Who." Sirius sighed.

"You kids really have a knack for hearing things you're not supposed to," he muttered. "Dumbledore has all kinds of theories, though."

"But what do _you_ think?" Liza pressed.

"I don't know," Sirius said. "Harry seems to be like himself, but that doesn't mean he's _not_ being possessed. There are just too many things up in the air right now. You three just need to stick close to him, all right?"

Liza, Ron, and Ginny nodded.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few hours later, Liza joined the rest of the Weasleys and Sirius in the kitchen for dinner. The only person who was missing was Harry.

"Ron, could you go upstairs and see if Harry's awake?" Mrs. Weasley asked her youngest son. "Tell him that dinner's ready if he wants it." Ron obediently left the room.

He returned a couple of minutes later, shaking his head.

"I think he might still be sleeping," he reported. Mrs. Weasley frowned but didn't say anything else. She finished ladling out the stew and sat down. Everyone quietly dug into their meals.

Suddenly, the kitchen door opened. Liza quickly turned to see Professor Dumbledore in the doorway.

"I apologize for bursting in on your dinner," he said.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said, jumping out of her chair. "Would you like some stew? It's still hot."

"No, thank you, Molly," Professor Dumbledore replied. "I merely wanted to pass on a message. I informed Miss Granger this morning of Mr. Weasley's injury, and she will be joining you soon. Unfortunately, she will have to wait until term officially ends tomorrow and take the train into London."

"Thank you, Professor," Mrs. Weasley said. "Are you sure you won't have something to eat?" But Professor Dumbledore shook his head, said his farewells, and left the kitchen again.

"Does he do that a lot?" Liza asked Sirius. "Does he just pop in for a few minutes to give you messages?"

"Well, it's safer than using Floo or an owl," Sirius said.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, Liza and the others decided to hang up some Christmas decorations, since they would all be staying at Grimmauld Place through the holidays. Sirius seemed particularly chipper, loudly singing Christmas carols as he went up and down the stairs.

Yet with all the fun they were having decorating the house for Christmas, Liza couldn't help but continue worrying about Harry. He hadn't come down for breakfast or lunch, and nobody had seen him all day.

Just before dinner, the doorbell to the house rang, setting off Mrs. Black's portrait. Hermione had arrived, her cheeks pink and her hair full of snow. Liza, Ginny, and Ron escorted her to the kitchen while Sirius attempted to close the curtains around his mother's portrait.

"How is he?" Hermione asked. The other three quickly launched into what they had overheard at the hospital.

"We just need to talk to him, but he won't let us," Ginny finished. "He's been hiding out upstairs since we got back."

"He hasn't eaten, either," Liza added.

"Oh, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley had appeared, beaming at Hermione. "How lovely to see you, dear! Are you sure your parents don't mind you staying with us for Christmas?"

"They're fine with it," Hermione replied, smiling back.

"Well, I just lit a fire in your bedroom, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm going to send up some sandwiches for Harry, as well… Do you think you could get him to come out and eat?"

"We'll try, Mrs. Weasley," Liza said determinedly. She turned to her friends. "'Mione, you'll have to go get Harry out of his hiding place, since he doesn't even know that you've arrived. We'll wait in his and Ron's room, and you can bring him there." Hermione nodded. She started up the stairs to try and find Harry, while Ron, Ginny, and Liza carried the plates of sandwiches up the stairs to Ron's and Harry's room.

"Do you think she'll be able to get him to come out?" Ron asked.

"She'll get him," Liza replied. "He won't know that she's bringing him to us." Ron and Ginny sat down on Ron's bed, and Liza sat on Harry's.

A few minutes later, Hermione entered the room, leading Harry with her. Liza glanced at Ron and Ginny, who were looking at Harry apprehensively.

"I came on the Knight Bus," Hermione said, shrugging out of her coat. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing yesterday morning, but I had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's, and he'd given you all permission to visit. So…" She shut the bedroom door behind Harry and sat down next to Ginny. All four of them looked up at Harry.

"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine," Harry replied shortly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," Liza said in annoyance. "You've been hiding from all of us since we got back from St. Mungo's."

"I have not," Harry muttered.

"You have!" Ginny exclaimed. "And you won't look at any of us!" This was true; Harry wouldn't meet any of their eyes.

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" Harry said, looking at the floor.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," Hermione suggested. Liza snorted.

"Very funny," Harry said sarcastically. He turned around, still refusing to look at anyone.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," Liza sighed.

"Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears—" Hermione started.

"Yeah?" Harry interrupted. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it…"

"We wanted to talk _to you_, Harry," Ginny said, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back—"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," Harry said.

"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," Ginny said hotly, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."

There was a ringing silence for a moment before Harry slowly turned back to them. He looked at Ginny.

"I forgot," he said honestly.

"Lucky you," Ginny grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized sincerely. "So…do you think I'm being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?" Harry furrowed his brow in thought for a few seconds.

"No," he finally said.

"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," Ginny said. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."

"That dream I had about your dad and the snake, though—"

"Harry, you've had these dreams before," Liza pointed out. "You had flashes of what You-Know-Who was up to last year."

"This was different," Harry insisted. "I was inside that snake. It was like I _was_ the snake… What if Voldemort somehow transported me to London—?"

"One day," Hermione cut in, "you'll read _Hogwarts, A History_, and perhaps that will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," Ron finally spoke up. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up…"

Harry paced back and forth a few times before grabbing a sandwich off the plate and took a large bite out of it.

"Feeling better?" Liza asked. Harry slowly nodded.

"A little bit," he said. "Thanks for this."

"Mrs. Weasley made the sandwiches," Liza reminded him.

"No, I mean, thanks for finding me and knocking a bit of sense into me," Harry clarified.

"That's what we're here for," Liza said, smiling. "You're my brother, after all." She froze, realizing what had come out of her mouth. She looked around at the others, who were all looking very confused.

"I meant, you're like a brother to me," she said quickly. "You know, like Ron is like a brother to me, like Fred and George are like brothers to me." Ron and Harry shrugged and went back to the plate of sandwiches. Hermione, however, was giving Liza a calculating look, and Liza avoided looking at her.

**~LJ:NK~**

In the next few days until Christmas, they all worked very hard to clean and decorate the house for the holidays. Sirius was in a particularly good mood, trying very hard to make sure all his guests felt welcome. They were even able to procure a Christmas tree, which was set up in the drawing room.

On Christmas morning, Liza awoke to a large pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Hermione and Ginny were already awake and beginning to open their presents, so Liza did the same. When they were finished, they changed out of their pajamas and each pulled on their Christmas sweaters from Mrs. Weasley. Liza also put the new charm from John onto her charm bracelet: an ice skate.

Liza and Ginny went down to the kitchen, where Sirius, Lupin, and Mrs. Weasley were all preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," Mrs. Weasley said warmly to the girls.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Liza said at the same time as Ginny said, "Morning, Mum." Fred and George strolled into the kitchen then, exchanging greetings with the others. Then they all heard a noise and looked up to see an owl flying into the room.

"That's Hermes," Mrs. Weasley said, looking a bit nervous. The owl dropped its parcel on the table and took off again, disappearing from the room. Mrs. Weasley went over to the table and unwrapped the package.

"Oh!" she gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"What's the matter?" Fred asked immediately. Liza looked closely at what the package was and saw a sweater inside. Mrs. Weasley threw her arms around Fred's neck, sobbing.

"Is that Percy's Christmas sweater?" Liza asked Ginny in a hushed voice. Ginny nodded, her eyes hard.

"It's okay, Mum," Fred said, awkwardly patting his mother on the shoulder.

"Yeah, Percy's just a humongous pile of rat droppings, anyway," George supplied. Liza frowned deeply at him, and he yelped, "What? He is!"

"You're really not being helpful," Liza replied, shaking her head. Lupin strode over from the stove and tried to console Mrs. Weasley, and Fred and George scampered from the room.

"There now, Molly," Lupin said. "Everything will be all right." Liza and Ginny awkwardly stood up.

"I'm going to go upstairs," Ginny said, backing out of the room as well. Liza went over to where Sirius was standing.

"I need to talk to you," Liza said. She was still feeling guilty about calling Harry her brother out loud the other day. Sirius shrugged and gestured to the pantry.

"You can help me get some of the dinner things out," he said. Liza went into the pantry, followed by her godfather.

"So, I accidentally called Harry my brother in front of him the other day," Liza said, feeling worried. "I tried to fix it. I told him that I meant that he was like a brother to me, but I saw the way Hermione was looking at me. She's probably a bit suspicious now, but I think I convinced Harry, Ron, and Ginny that I didn't mean he was literally my brother." Sirius snickered.

"I'm sure Harry has enough on his plate without worrying about what you meant by that comment," he assured her. He passed her a few food items to take out into the kitchen. "Is he doing all right, though? He seems to be a lot better now."

"We've managed to convince him that he's probably not being possessed by You-Know-Who," Liza replied.

"That's good," Sirius said absently. He leaned down and picked up a giant turkey, which was going to be their dinner. "Oh, and I suppose you should be more careful about what you say around him concerning the fact that you're his twin. Or something like that." Liza giggled, feeling a bit better. Sirius gestured to the pantry doorway, and Liza trooped out of it.

"I think I'll just leave his present here," Hermione was saying across the room. She, Ron, Harry, Fred, and George were in the kitchen now, looking into a small door. "He'll find it later, that'll be fine…"

"Come to think of it, has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?" Sirius asked, following Liza out of the pantry.

"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," Harry said. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…" Sirius said. "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too… He must be hiding upstairs somewhere…"

"He couldn't have left, could he?" Harry asked. "I mean, when you said 'out,' maybe he thought you meant, get out of the house?"

"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes, they're tied to their family's house," Sirius said.

"They can leave the house if they really want to," Harry said, frowning. "Dobby did, he left the Malfoys' to give me warnings three years ago. He had to punish himself afterward, but he still managed it." There was a heavy pause.

"I'll look for him later," Sirius decided. "I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something… Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died… But I mustn't get my hopes up…"

Fred, George, and Ron laughed, and Hermione gave Sirius a withering look.

**~LJ:NK~**

After lunch, Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone together to visit Mr. Weasley again. All four Weasley children plus Bill, Liza, Hermione, and Harry were going, along with Moody and Lupin as escorts. Mundungus also showed up in time for dessert, and he had managed to acquire a car to take them into London.

It was a pretty quiet drive, as there were not many other cars on the streets, and Mundungus dropped them off right in front of the window with the dummy. The group strolled casually up to the window and through the glass.

The inside of the hospital had been decorated for Christmas, and the reception area was much less crowded than the last time they'd visited. This time they didn't have to stop at the help desk; Mrs. Weasley led them up to the first floor and into Mr. Weasley's ward.

Mr. Weasley was sitting up in bed again, a dinner tray on his lap, and he looked a bit anxious when he saw his wife enter the room. Everyone said their hellos and passed Mr. Weasley his presents.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Fine, fine," Mr. Weasley replied quickly. "You—er—haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No, why?" Mrs. Weasley answered, narrowing her eyes at her husband.

"Nothing, nothing," Mr. Weasley said, waving her off. He reached forward and started pulling the paper off his presents. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, _Harry_—this is absolutely _wonderful_—" He had just opened Harry's present, and he leaned over to shake Harry's hand in thanks.

"Arthur," Mrs. Weasley snapped, glaring at him, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."

"What?" Mr. Weasley said, looking nervous. "No, no—it's nothing—it's—I—" He seemed quite flustered. "Well—now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea… He's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in…um…complementary medicine… I mean, some of those old Muggle remedies…well, they're called _stitches_, Molly, and they work very well on—on Muggle wounds—" Mrs. Weasley let out a loud noise.

Lupin got up immediately and went over to the werewolf in the next bed. Bill stood, as well, saying he fancied a cup of tea, and he left the ward with Fred and George following him.

"Do you mean to tell me," Mrs. Weasley began angrily, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," Mr. Weasley replied. "It was just—just something Pye and I thought we'd try—only, most unfortunately—well, with these particular kinds of wounds—it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped—"

"_Meaning_?" Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Well…well, I don't know whether you know what—what stitches are?" Mr. Weasley said uneasily.

"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," Mrs. Weasley answered, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be _that_ stupid—"

"I fancy a cup of tea, too," Harry said suddenly, jumping to his feet. Liza, fully aware of what stitches were, nodded her agreement. She, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all hurried out of the room, following Harry. As the door shut behind them, they heard Mrs. Weasley scream, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?"

"Typical Dad," Ginny said. "Stitches…I ask you…"

"Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds," Hermione said. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something… I wonder where the tearoom is?"

"Fifth floor," Harry and Liza said promptly at the same time.

The five of them began their way up the hospital, passing portraits of old Healers, who took it upon themselves to diagnose the kids with various diseases.

"You are clearly suffering from a horrid case of spattergroit, young master!" a portrait yelled out to Ron.

"And what's that supposed to be?" Ron snapped, looking at the Healer, who was running through other portraits to keep up with them.

"'Tis a most grievous affliction of the skin, young master, that will leave you pockmarked and more gruesome even than you are now—" the Healer said boldly.

"Watch who you're calling gruesome!" Ron growled.

"The only remedy is to take the liver of a toad, bind it tight about your throat, stand naked by the full moon in a barrel of eels' eyes—" the Healer continued.

"I have not got spattergroit!" Ron shouted.

"But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master—" the Healer tried to reason.

"They're freckles!" Ron said. "Now get back in your own picture and leave me alone!" Then he turned to glare at the others.

"It's just a portrait, Ron," Liza said, unable to stop her giggles.

"What floor's this?" Ron asked, still seething.

"I think it's the fifth," Hermione said.

"Nah, it's the fourth," Harry said, "one more—" He stopped suddenly, looking through the window on the door to floor four. The other three looked, as well, and saw a blond-haired man staring back at them, his nose pressed up against the glass.

"Blimey!" Ron gasped.

"Oh my goodness," Hermione said. "Professor Lockhart!"

"Wow," Liza breathed. Lockhart pushed the doors open and strode over to them, smiling vacantly. His hospital gown was lilac, just like his favorite robes had been.

"Well, hello there!" he announced. "I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?"

"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Harry muttered.

"Er—how are you, Professor?" Ron asked, sounding a bit guilty. It was his backfiring wand that had caused Lockhart to place a memory charm on himself.

"I'm very well indeed, thank you!" Lockhart said happily. He plunged his hand into his pocket and pulled out a quill. "Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined-up writing now, you know!"

"Er—we don't want any at the moment, thanks," Ron said, glancing at Harry.

"Professor," Harry added, "should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn't you be in a ward?" Lockhart's smile faded as he stared at Harry.

"Haven't we met?" he finally asked.

"Er…yeah, we have," Harry replied. "You used to teach at Hogwarts, remember?"

"Teach?" Lockhart echoed. "Me? Did I?" He blinked, and then the grin reappeared on his face. "Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!"

Before any of them could say anything, a voice came from the other end of the fourth-floor corridor.

"Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?" A Healer was hurrying down the hall towards them, smiling at the group. "Oh Gilderoy, you've got visitors! How _lovely_, and on Christmas Day too! Do you know, he _never_ gets visitors, the poor lamb, and I can't think why, he's such a sweetie, aren't you?"

"We're doing autographs!" Lockhart exclaimed gleefully. "They want loads of them, won't take no for an answer! I just hope we've got enough photographs!"

"Listen to him," the Healer said sweetly, taking hold of Lockhart's arm. "He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be coming back a little bit. Will you step this way? He's in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door's usually kept locked…not that he's dangerous!" Then she lowered her voice and continued, "But he's a bit of a danger to himself, bless him… Doesn't know who he is, you see, wanders off and can't remember how to get back… It _is_ nice of you to have come to see him—"

"Er," Ron said, "actually, we were just—er—"

"Don't be silly, Ron, of course we came to see—er—Gilderoy," Liza said quickly, noticing the expectant look on the Healer's face. The Healer beamed at them.

"Right this way, please," she said, taking the lead with Lockhart in hand. The other five followed.

"Let's not stay long," Ron murmured.

They reached the ward at the end of the corridor, and the Healer pulled her wand out. She unlocked the door and led the way inside. She steered Lockhart into an armchair next to an empty bed that Liza assumed was his.

"This is our long-term resident ward," the Healer explained to the five kids. "For permanent spell damage, you know. Of course, with intensive remedial potions and charms and a bit of luck, we can produce some improvement… Gilderoy does seem to be getting back some sense of himself, and we've seen a real improvement in Mr. Bode, he seems to be regaining the power of speech very well, though he isn't speaking any language we recognize yet… Well, I must finish giving out the Christmas presents, I'll leave you all to chat…"

Liza looked at her former professor, who had pulled out a stack of photos of his own face. Then he picked up a quill and began signing them.

"You can put them in envelopes," he said to Ginny, who was nearest, tossing the signed pictures at her. "I am not forgotten, you know, no, I still receive a very great deal of fan mail… Gladys Gudgeon writes _weekly_… I just wish I knew _why_…" He paused, confusion passing over his face, before continuing signing. "I suspect it is simply my good looks…"

"They didn't tell him that he was an author?" Liza whispered to Hermione, who shrugged. Liza looked around the ward at the other patients. There was a man nearby who was muttering to himself, and next to him was a woman covered in fur. Whoever was at the end of the ward had the curtain drawn for privacy.

"Here you are, Agnes," the Healer said to the woman with the furry face, who was handing out the Christmas presents. "See, not forgotten ,are you? And your son's sent an owl to say he's visiting tonight, so that's nice, isn't it?" The woman barked loudly.

"And look, Broderick, you've been sent a potted plant and a lovely calendar with a different fancy hippogriff for each month, they'll brighten things up, won't they?" the Healer said, moving over to the man and setting the gifts onto the table next to the bed. "And—oh, Mrs. Longbottom, are you leaving already?"

Liza's eyes snapped up to see an old woman walking down the ward away from the beds that had been shielded by the curtains. Behind her trailed a boy—but not just any boy; it was Neville.

"_Neville_!" Ron cried, waving at his fellow Gryffindor. Neville jumped, looking as though he was trying to hide behind his grandmother. "It's us, Neville!" Ron continued. "Have you seen? Lockhart's here! Who've you been visiting?"

"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" Mrs. Longbottom asked, looking around at them. Neville wouldn't look up, and he didn't say anything. "Ah, yes," Mrs. Longbottom said, surveying Harry. She held out her hand to him. "Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you."

"Er—thanks," Harry said, taking her hand and shaking it.

"And you two are clearly Weasleys," Mrs. Longbottom said, glancing over Ron and Ginny and offering them her hand as well. "Yes, I know your parents—not well, of course—but fine people, fine people…and you two must be Hermione Granger and Liza Jones, although I'm not sure who is who." Hermione looked surprised, so Liza stepped forward and shook Mrs. Longbottom's hand first.

"I'm Liza," she introduced herself, "and that's Hermione." Hermione also shook the old witch's hand.

"Yes, Neville's told me all about you," Mrs. Longbottom said. "Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy," she looked around at her grandson, "but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say…" She gestured towards the end of the ward.

"What?" Ron asked. "Is that your _dad_ down the end, Neville?"

"_Ron_!" Liza hissed.

"What's this?" Mrs. Longbottom asked. "Haven't you told your friends about your parents, Neville?" Neville, still refusing to look at anyone, shook his head. "Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of!" Mrs. Longbottom exclaimed. "You should be _proud_, Neville, _proud_! They didn't give their health and sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!"

"I'm not ashamed," Neville mumbled. Ron stood on his tip-toes, attempting to look at Neville's parents. Liza reached out and tugged on his sweater sleeve, pulling him back down onto his feet.

"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" Mrs. Longbottom said. She turned back to the others and said, "My son and his wife were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers."

Hermione and Ginny put their hands over their mouths, and Ron's eyes widened. Liza wanted to go to Neville, who was looking quite downcast, but she stayed in her place.

"They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the Wizarding community," Mrs. Longbottom continued. "Highly gifted, the pair of them. I—yes, Alice dear, what is it?"

A woman had slowly approached them from the end of the ward. Liza guessed that this was Neville's mother. She held something out in her hand, gesturing to Neville anxiously.

"Again?" Mrs. Longbottom asked. "Very well, Alice dear, very well—Neville, take it, whatever it is…" Neville reached out his hand, and his mother dropped a gum wrapper in it.

"Very nice, dear," Mrs. Longbottom said, patting the woman on the shoulder.

"Thanks Mum," Neville said so quietly that Liza almost missed him say it. Liza's heart broke as Neville finally looked around at them all, glaring at them as though he expect them to laugh.

"Well, we'd better get back," Mrs. Longbottom said. "Very nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now…" But when his grandmother turn her back, Neville slipped the paper into his pocket.

Suddenly, Liza rushed forward and threw her arms around Neville, hugging him fiercely.

"Merry Christmas, Nev," she murmured. Neville was stiff for a moment, but he relaxed and gently hugged her back.

"Happy Christmas," he said back, pulling away. Then he hurried after his grandmother. Liza turned back to the others.

"I never knew," Hermione said, her eyes watery.

"Neither did I," Liza said quietly.

"Nor did I," Ron spoke up, his voice gravely.

"Nor me," Ginny murmured. Harry didn't say anything for a moment, and the rest of them stared at him expectantly.

"I did," he admitted. "Dumbledore told me but I promised I wouldn't mention it…that's what Bellatrix Lestrange got sent to Azkaban for, using the Cruciatus Curse on Neville's parents until they lost their minds."

"Bellatrix Lestrange did that?" Hermione asked, sounding terrified. "That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Look, I didn't learn join-up writing for nothing, you know!" Lockhart said indignantly from behind them.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: The end of this chapter always made me so sad. Poor Neville.**_


	20. Chapter 20 School Starts Again

_**A/N: Short chapter, but it's a sort of in-between chapter. The next one is more important.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 20 – School Starts Again**

The rest of their holiday break went by very quickly. As much as she was dreading having to deal with Umbridge again, Liza couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. She missed her boyfriend; since leaving abruptly in the middle of the night before term officially ended, she hadn't been able to say a proper good-bye to him.

Sirius, on the other hand, had sunk into a moody depression. When the holidays were over, they would all be gone again, leaving him with only Kreacher as company, who had been lurking in the attic during Christmas. Sirius had found him up there a few days later.

The night before they were due back at Hogwarts, Liza, Ginny, and Hermione gathered in Harry's and Ron's room to watch the boys play a game of chess. Mrs. Weasley opened the door to the room and peered inside.

"Harry dear," she said, "could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you." Harry, who was distracted by his game, didn't look up right away.

"Squash him—_squash him_, he's only a pawn, you idiot," he said to his chess pieces. Then he looked up and said, "Sorry, Mrs. Weasley, what did you say?"

"Professor Snape, dear," Mrs. Weasley repeated. "In the kitchen. He'd like a word." Harry exchanged confused glances with the others in the room. Crookshanks, who Hermione had been restraining from getting at the chess pieces, took his chance to jump from Hermione's arms and onto the board. The little chess pieces scrambled away from the cat, shrieking in fear. Boots remained in Liza's lap, watching Crookshanks with interest.

"Snape?" Harry echoed.

"_Professor_ Snape, dear," Mrs. Weasley corrected. "Now come on, quickly, he says he can't stay long." She left the room again.

"What's he want with you?" Ron asked.

"You haven't done anything, have you?" Hermione asked.

"No!" Harry insisted.

"Well, you better get down there," Liza said. "Don't want to keep him waiting, you know." Harry got to his feet and left the room.

"Wonder what he wants," Ron said, shoving Crookshanks away from a group of pawns cowering under his knee.

"Maybe he has a message from Dumbledore or something," Ginny suggested.

"Hermione!" Ron said in a frustrated voice. "Can you get your cat away from my chess pieces!?" Hermione hopped off the bed and scooped the large cat into her arms so Ron could finished retrieving the pieces.

"Ron! Ginny!" Fred appeared at the bedroom door, grinning widely. "Come downstairs, Dad just got back!" Liza, feeling a bit shocked, felt a smile grow on her face. She and the others hurried down the stairs to see Mr. Weasley standing in the foyer with Mrs. Weasley, George, and Bill.

"Dad!" Ginny exclaimed in a whisper, trying to stay quiet so as to not wake Mrs. Black's portrait. She ran forward and hugged her father.

"Come along, let's go downstairs," Mrs. Weasley said quietly. "It's almost dinner time, after all." They all trooped downstairs into the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley pushed the doors open, and everyone filed inside.

"Cured!" Mr. Weasley said. "Completely cured!" Liza surveyed the scene in front of them, her eyes widening in surprise. Sirius and Snape had their wands out and in each others' faces, and Harry was standing between them.

"Merlin's beard," Mr. Weasley said, "what's going on here?" Sirius and Snape lowered their wands and glared at each other. Snape put his wand into his robe pocket and stalked away from Sirius towards the kitchen doors. He paused.

"Six o'clock Monday evening, Potter," he drawled. Then he disappeared up the steps.

"But what's been going on?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking at Sirius.

"Nothing, Arthur," Sirius replied airily, although he was breathing hard. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends…" He grinned and said, "So…you're cured? That's great news, really great…"

"Yes, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley said, guiding Mr. Weasley forward and into one of the chairs. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end, found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine, _haven't you, dear?_" She gave her husband a hard look.

"Yes, Molly dear," Mr. Weasley answered obediently.

Dinner that night was a mostly happy affair. Mundungus and Moody joined them, wanting to see Mr. Weasley and give him their congratulations. Liza chatted happily with Ginny and Bill for a while, but she kept glancing at Sirius, who seemed very unhappy. Liza wasn't surprised; Sirius and Snape hated each other, after all.

Before they went up to bed, Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Liza that Snape was going to be giving Harry Occlumency lessons when term restarted.

"Dumbledore wants you to stop having those dreams about Voldemort," Hermione stated.

"Well, you won't be sorry about not having those anymore, will you?" Liza said, shrugging.

"Extra lessons with Snape?" Ron said. "I'd rather have the nightmares!"

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning was only a little hectic. Tonks, Lupin, and Moody were taking the kids back to school on the Knight Bus, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be returning to the Burrow.

Sirius took Liza aside as the others were finishing their breakfasts.

"Did Harry tell you what Snape wanted?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Liza replied. "Occlumency lessons."

"Okay," Sirius said, nodding. "I know I tell you to do this all the time, but you need to keep an eye on Harry. Occlumency is very difficult, and it can really wear a person out. If anything suspicious happens, go straight to Dumbledore."

"I will," Liza said. Then she gave her godfather a brief hug before moving back over to the Weasleys. Sirius took Harry aside next, and when they were finished talking, everyone left the kitchen and gathered around the front door. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were saying their farewells to their children.

"Good-bye, Liza dear," Mrs. Weasley said when she came to Liza, wrapping her up in a hug. Then she moved onto Harry.

"See you Harry, and keep an eye out for snakes for me!" Mr. Weasley said jokingly, shaking the boy's hand.

"Right—yeah," Harry replied, looking around at Sirius. Sirius stepped forward and pulled Harry under one arm.

"Look after yourself, Harry," he said.

"Let's get moving," Moody said from the front of the line. He opened the front door, followed by Fred, George, and Ginny. Lupin went next, and Liza hurried after him. The group stopped when they reached the sidewalk.

"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better," Tonks said in a low voice. Moody threw his right arm out in front of him, and then there was a loud bang.

Liza felt a small smile pulling on her lips as a large triple-decker purple bus appeared. It rolled up to them, slamming on its brakes. A young man in a uniform jumped down from the door.

"Welcome to the—" he started.

"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," Tonks said. "On, on, get on—" One by one, the members of their group stepped onto the bus.

"'Ere—it's 'Arry—!" the young man started as Harry passed him.

"If you shout his name I will curse you into oblivion," Tonks said irritably. The rest of the group boarded the bus.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing," Ron said, looking around in interest. Liza looked around as well, surprised to see a number of passengers picking themselves up off the floor.

"Looks like we'll have to split up," Moody said gruffly.

"Right," Tonks said, nodding. "Fred and George, you stay with Mad-Eye, take those seats at the back…" Fred, George, and Moody went to the back of the bus and sat down. Tonks led the way up to the next deck.

"Ginny, Liza, go with Remus," Tonks said, spotting a few empty chairs in the middle of the aisle. Lupin nodded once before ushering the girls over to their seats. The three of them paid their fare to the man who had greeted them, and he hurried off after Tonks, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"I've never been on a bus like this," Liza remarked, looking around at the other passengers. "What's it like?"

"You'll see," Lupin said, gripping the underside of his chair with one hand. A few moments later, the bus started moving, rumbling slowly forward until—

BANG.

Ginny and Liza shrieked as their chairs lurched backwards. Many of the chairs around them tipped over, dumping the passengers to the floor. Liza looked in amazement out the window as the scenery changed around them. There was a loud gagging noise a few seats in front of them, and they looked up to see a woman being violently sick into her handbag.

A few stops later, the young man who had taken their money escorted the poor woman off of the bus. The passengers around Liza, Ginny, and Lupin were all breathing sighs of relief before the bus took off again.

BANG.

"Look, it's Hogsmeade!" Ginny exclaimed, gazing out the window. Liza looked to see the snow-covered buildings of the little town rushing by the window. Soon the bus halted, and Lupin led the girls off. They met up with the rest of their group.

"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," Moody said, his magical eye whizzing around in its socket as it always was.

"Have a good term, okay?" Tonks added, smiling around at all of them. Everyone began exchanging good-byes. Liza launched herself into Lupin's arms, hugging him tightly. Then she hugged Tonks just as hard, but only shook Moody's hand; she didn't think Moody would appreciate a hug.

"Look after yourselves," Lupin called after them as the seven kids started back up to the school. They all gave the three adults one last wave before turning back to the school.

The trek up to the school was difficult, as there was freshly fallen snow to drag their trunks through. Fred and George talked about how they couldn't wait to get back to selling their Skiving Snackboxes, and Hermione gushed about being able to use magic to knit her hats for the house-elves again.

As they reached the front door, Liza looked over her shoulder at Harry, who was looking wistfully down at Hogsmeade. She knew what he was thinking: he wished that he could go back with Sirius.

**~LJ:NK~**

Liza spent most of the next day trying to cheer Harry up. She knew that he was not looking forward to starting Occlumency lessons with Snape that night. It didn't help that members of the D.A. kept coming up to him and asking if there was going to be a meeting that night.

Zacharias Smith caught up with them after lunch, cornering them in the Entrance Hall and demanding to know if there was going to be a meeting.

"I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry repeated, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to—er—Remedial Potions…"

"You take _Remedial Potions_?" Zacharias asked with a chuckle. "Good Lord, you must be terrible, Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?" He turned and strutted away.

"Shall I jinx him?" Ron asked quietly. "I can still get him from here." He pulled his wand out and aimed it at Zacharias's back.

"Forget it," Harry replied. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup—"

"Hi, Harry," a voice said. Harry and Ron turned to see Cho coming up behind them.

"Oh," Harry said lamely. "Hi."

"We'll be in the library, Harry," Hermione said immediately. Liza grabbed Ron by the arm and pulled him away from Harry and Cho.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked grumpily.

"Well, seeing as you insulted Cho's Quidditch team the last time she wanted to talk to Harry, it would be in Harry's best interest if you made yourself scarce," Liza quipped.

"I wasn't going to say anything!" Ron insisted.

"I'm sure they appreciate the privacy," Hermione said airily. "Now come on."

"Of all the places we could go, you picked the library," Ron grumbled as the three Gryffindors entered the library.

It wasn't long before Harry caught back up with them.

"What happened?" Liza asked, noticing the faint smile on her brother's face.

"I asked Cho out to Hogsmeade over Valentine's Day," he replied. Liza and Hermione beamed at him, but Ron just had a blank look on his face.

That night at dinner, John caught up with Liza.

"How was your Christmas?" he asked as he settled onto the bench next to her.

"It was okay," Liza replied. "I don't know if you heard, but Mr. Weasley had a bit of an accident and had to spend the holiday in St. Mungo's. He was released yesterday, though, good as new."

"That's good," John said. "Hermione told me that you, Harry, and the Weasleys had left early to visit him before term had officially ended. Umbridge was not very happy about it."

"I'm sorry I had to leave without saying good-bye," Liza said. "I hope your Christmas was all right."

"Went to France," John replied. "I debated staying, but you weren't going to be here, and Mary, Rhonda, and Jake all went home, as well. So I spent the time hiding from my cousins, as usual." He laughed quietly. "I'm just glad to be back," he added, taking her hand in his.

"I am, too," Liza replied.

That night, Harry went down to Snape's classroom for his Occlumency lesson. Hermione, Ron, and Liza, meanwhile, went to the library to work on Umbridge's homework. It was dark out before Harry joined them, looking shaken up.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked quietly, glancing up at him. Liza looked at him, too, noticing how pale he looked.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Liza asked, frowning.

"Yeah…fine…I dunno," Harry said. "Listen…I've just realized something…" He proceeded to tell them that he had been dreaming of a corridor for months, and he'd just found out where it was.

"So…so, are you saying…" Ron started, lowering his voice as Madam Pince walked past, "that the weapon—the thing You-Know-Who's after—is in the Ministry of Magic?"

"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be," Harry replied. "I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him." Liza and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

"Of course," Hermione sighed.

"Of course what?" Ron asked.

"Ron, think about it…" Hermione said. "Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic… It must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"

"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" Ron asked.

"Well, I don't know," Hermione said. "That _is_ a bit odd…"

"Maybe he was cursed," Liza suggested, shrugging. She turned to Ron and asked, "What's in the Department of Mysteries? Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"

"I know they call the people who work in there 'Unspeakables,'" Ron answered. "Because no one really seems to know what they do in there… Weird place to have a weapon…"

"It's not weird at all, it makes perfect sense," Hermione said. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect…" Liza looked at Harry, who was pressing both of his hands to his forehead.

"Are you sure you're all right, Harry?" she asked him.

"Yeah…fine…" he said. "I just feel a bit…I don't like Occlumency much…"

"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," Hermione said. "Look, let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there…"

However, the common room was very loud when they reached it. Fred and George had a new product for their joke shop that they were showing off to the entire room.

"Headless Hats!" George announced. Fred had a hat in his hand, and he waved it above the crowd. "Two galleons each—watch Fred, now!" Fred placed the hat on his head, and after a second, the hat and his head vanished. A few girls let out screams, but most people laughed loudly, clapping their hands. Liza giggled.

"And off again!" George said. Fred's hand went to where is head was supposed to be, and then his head reappeared, the hat in his hand.

"How do those hats work, then?" Hermione asked, watching the twins closely. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object… I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though…"

"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," Harry sighed, putting his books back in his bag and looking distracted.

"Well, write it in your homework planner then!" Hermione said, her eyes shiny with excitement. "So you don't forget!" Hermione had gotten both Harry and Ron a homework planner for Christmas, which she was very proud of. Liza had a feeling that Harry and Ron were less enthusiastic. Harry pulled the planner out of his bag.

"_Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater_!" the planner squeaked as Harry opened it and wrote down his homework. Hermione smiled, satisfied.

"I think I'll go to bed," Harry said. He slung his bag over his shoulder and left for the boys' staircase.

"He really doesn't look very well," Liza commented as he disappeared.

"I think I'll go up with him," Ron said. "Make sure he doesn't get sick or something, you know." When he was gone, as well, Liza shook her head.

"Occlumency lessons," she muttered.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking up from her homework.

"I get that Dumbledore wants Harry to stop having dreams about You-Know-Who," Liza said, "but why did he insist that _Snape_ be the one to teach Harry?"

"Snape's on our side, though," Hermione said. "And Lupin said that he was a great Occlumens."

"But Dumbledore knows that Snape and Harry don't get along," Liza argued, frowning. "Why couldn't Dumbledore teach him?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore's very busy," Hermione said. "He's got a lot on his plate, you know, with the Order and everything."

"I know," Liza said glumly. "And it's all because of You-Know—Voldemort." It felt weird to say his name out loud, but it also felt strangely powerful. In that moment, Liza vowed to herself that she would never be afraid to use it again.

**~LJ:NK~**


	21. Chapter 21 The Meeting in Hogsmeade

_**A/N: Here's a much better sized chapter for you.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 21 – The Meeting in Hogsmeade**

The next morning, Hermione had barely received her copy of the _Daily Prophet_ when she let out a loud screech. Nearly every head in the Great Hall turned to look at her.

"What?" Harry, Ron, and Liza asked. Hermione laid the paper on the table and pointed wordlessly to the front page. There were ten photos spread across the page, nine wizards and one witch.

Liza looked at the first picture. _Antonin Dolohov_, the caption underneath it read, _convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett_.

"Who are these people?" Liza asked, glancing at the others. Hermione pointed to the headline.

_**MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN  
>MINISTRY FEAR BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT" FOR OLD DEATH EATERS<strong>_

"Black?" Harry said in alarm. "Not—?"

"_Shhh_!" Hermione and Liza quickly shushed him.

"Read it aloud, Hermione," Liza added. Hermione cleared her throat and began to read the article.

_The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban._

_Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals._

"_We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."_

"There you are, Harry," Ron said when Hermione was finished. "That's why he was happy last night…"

"I don't believe this," Harry said angrily. "Fudge is blaming the breakout on _Sirius_?"

"What other option does he have?" Liza pointed out.

"Right," Hermione agreed grimly. "He can hardly say, 'Sorry everyone, Dumbledore warned me this might happen, the Azkaban guards have joined Lord Voldemort'—stop _whimpering_, Ron—'and now Voldemort's worst supporters have broken out too.' I mean, he's spent a good six months telling everyone you and Dumbledore are liars, hasn't he?" With that, she picked up the paper and opened it to read the rest of the article.

"Harry," Liza said tentatively, "what did Ron mean by, 'That's why he was happy last night'?" Harry sighed and told her and Hermione what had happened the night before, when he had sensed that Voldemort had been happy about something.

When Harry had finished talking, he looked up at the staff table. Liza glanced at the teachers as well, noticing that they were all looking extremely grave.

"Look at them," Harry murmured, his eyes sweeping around the Hall. "Why aren't more people upset by this? Do they not understand that there are ten escaped Death Eaters on the loose now?"

"Most of them probably haven't seen the article," Liza reasoned. "Most of them don't get the _Prophet_, do they?"

"Oh my—" Hermione gasped.

"What now?" Harry asked, seeming on edge.

"It's…_horrible_," Hermione replied. Then she read aloud from the paper again.

_**TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER**_

_St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted-plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death._

_Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bode's ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement, "St. Mungo's deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident._

"_We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards but it appears that Healer Stout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode's bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom, but a cutting of Devil's Snare, which, when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly._

"_St. Mungo's is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward."_

"Bode…" Ron said thoughtfully. "_Bode_. It rings a bell…" Liza's eyes widened.

"We saw him!" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down. "In St. Mungo's, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart's, just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we _saw_ the Devil's Snare arrive! She—the Healer—said it was a Christmas present…"

"How come we didn't recognize Devil's Snare…?" Harry whispered. "We've seen it before…we could've stopped this from happening…"

"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a potted plant?" Ron said. "It's not our fault, whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat, why didn't they check what they were buying?"

"Oh come on, Ron!" Hermione said. "I don't think anyone could put Devil's Snare in a pot and not realize it tries to kill whoever touches it. This—this was murder… A clever murder, as well… If the plant was sent anonymously, how's anyone ever going to find out who did it?"

"I met Bode," Harry said, frowning at the newspaper. "I saw him at the Ministry with your dad…" Ron gasped.

"I've heard Dad talk about him at home!" he said. "He was an Unspeakable—he worked in the Department of Mysteries!" The four of them exchanged looks, unable to say anything else. Then Hermione stood up, folding the paper up.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"To send a letter," Hermione answered. "It…well, I don't know whether…but it's worth trying…and I'm the only one who can…" Then she dashed off.

"We have class in ten minutes!" Liza called after her.

"I _hate_ it when she does that," Ron said. He, Harry, and Liza stood from the table as well and began walking up the Hall. "Would it kill her to tell us what she's up to for once? It'd take her about ten more seconds—hey, Hagrid!" Hagrid was standing at the door to the Great Hall, waiting for a group to walk ahead of him.

"All righ', you three?" he asked, looking down at the fifth-years. He attempted to smile.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" Harry asked, falling into step next to his half-giant friend as they left the Hall.

"Fine, fine," Hagrid replied. "Jus' busy, yeh know, usual stuff—lessons ter prepare—couple o' salamanders got scale rot—an' I'm on probation," he added, almost so quiet that Liza missed it.

"_You're on probation_?" Ron repeated in a yelp, causing many of the students in the Entrance Hall to look around.

"Ron!" Liza snapped.

"Sorry—I mean—you're on probation?" Ron asked in a much quieter voice.

"Yeah," Hagrid sighed. "'S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' tha' inspection didn' go too well, yeh know…anyway. Bes' go an rub a bit more chili powder on them salamanders or their tails'll be hangin' off 'em next. See yeh, Harry…Ron…Liza…"

Liza, Harry, and Ron watched him leave, and Liza couldn't help but wonder if she could stand getting any more bad news that day.

**~LJ:NK~**

Over the next few days, many of the students showed little remorse over the fact that Hagrid was on probation. In fact, there were several people who seemed quite happy about it. Malfoy and his gang of Slytherin friends were the most vocal about it.

On the other hand, everyone had heard of the escaped Death Eaters, and it was all the school seemed able to talk about. Rumors flew that the escapees were hiding out in Hogsmeade at the Shrieking Shack.

Also because of the escape of the Death Eaters, many of the students whose families had been hurt by You-Know-Who's followers were getting a lot of unwanted attention.

Harry was getting a bit more attention because of the breakout, too. At first, Liza thought they were spreading more rumors about him, but then she overheard some students saying the _Prophet_'s version of the breakout sounded suspicious.

The students weren't the only ones gossiping these days; even the teachers would huddle together, whispering to one another, breaking off whenever students came near.

"Why do you suppose they talk like that out in the hall?" Liza asked quietly as she, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking past the charms classroom one afternoon. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout were standing together just outside the room, murmuring to one another.

"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," Hermione said. "Not with Umbridge in there."

"Reckon they know anything new?" Ron asked, chancing a glance back at the professors.

"If they do, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" Harry muttered darkly. "Not after Decree… What number are we on now?"

"Twenty-six," Liza answered glumly. The day after the _Daily Prophet_ had printed the news of the Death Eaters' escape, a new Education Decree had been put into effect. The sign had been pinned to the house notice board for all to see.

_By Order Of The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

_Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six._

_Signed,  
>Dolores Jane Umbridge<br>High Inquisitor_

Many of the more daring students turned the decree into a joke. Lee Jordan in particular got into trouble when he told Umbridge that she couldn't tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in her class since it didn't have anything to do with teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Now that Hagrid was on probation, Umbridge was attending every single Care of Magical Creatures lesson to supervise. Hagrid was following Hermione's advice and showing the class creatures that were not classified by the Ministry as 'dangerous'. He also strictly forbade Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza to come visit him after nightfall.

"If she catches yeh, it'll be all of our necks on the line," he told them. As much as the four Gryffindors missed their friend, they didn't want to be the reason he got fired.

Umbridge was tightening her grip on Hogwarts even more fiercely than before the holidays, and the only way that Liza and the others felt happy these days were during the D.A. meetings.

Everyone in the D.A. seemed to redouble their efforts to learn as much defense as they could. But nobody was trying as hard as Neville. Surprisingly, Liza was the only person who he would have conversations with during meetings. No matter how many times Liza hit him with the jinxes they were working on, he always got up, ready to try again. As the meetings went on, Neville was beginning to hit Liza as many times as she hit him, which Liza was delighted about.

Harry continued his Occlumency lessons with Snape, and every night when he got back, he always seemed worn out. One night in the common room, when Harry returned from his lesson, he told the others about how he was worried that he wasn't getting any better.

"Maybe it's a bit like an illness," Hermione suggested. "A fever or something. It has to get worse before it gets better."

"It's lessons with Snape that are making it worse," Harry insisted. "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting, and I'm getting bored walking down that corridor every night." He paused to rub his forehead. "I just wish the door would open, I'm sick of standing staring at it—"

"That's not funny," Hermione snapped. "Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at all, or he wouldn't have asked Snape to teach you Occlumency. You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."

"I am working!" Harry said. "You try it sometime, Snape trying to get inside your head, it's not a bundle of laughs, you know!"

"We know, Harry," Liza said soothingly.

"Maybe…" Ron said, trailing of as he looked into the fire thoughtfully.

"Maybe what?" Hermione asked briskly.

"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," Ron said.

"What do you mean?" Liza asked. Ron looked over at them.

"Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry…" Ron began. The other three just stared at him, and he glanced between them. "Maybe he's actually trying to open Harry's mind a bit wider…make it easier for You-Know—"

"Shut up, Ron," Hermione interrupted. "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you _ever_ been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough."

"He used to be a Death Eater," Ron countered. "And we've never seen proof that he _really_ swapped sides…"

"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione said again. "And if we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

**~LJ:NK~**

With all the homework the fifth-years were receiving, the rest of January seemed to pass by in a blur. Soon February began, bringing some unusually warm weather with it. The snow was starting to melt, making the grounds slushy and even more difficult to walk through.

The day before the next Hogsmeade trip, Hermione pulled Liza aside.

"Listen, are you and John doing anything special in Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day?" she asked.

"No," Liza replied. "Neither of us are that big on Valentine's Day in general. Why?"

"There's just something important that might come up tomorrow, around lunch time," Hermione explained. "I had an idea—although, if I don't get a letter back by tomorrow morning, it won't matter much… But could you meet me in the Three Broomsticks around noon?"

"Yeah, I suppose I could," Liza said slowly. "What's this idea of yours?" Hermione shook her head.

"You'll see tomorrow if it all works out," she said vaguely. "It would just be helpful if you were there."

"Well, all right, then," Liza said. "I'll talk to John about it in the morning."

The morning of Valentine's Day dawned sunny but a bit chilly. Hermione and Liza dressed in layers in case it got warmer throughout the day and then went down to breakfast. John joined them soon after.

"Morning," he said brightly, kissing the side of Liza's head. Liza smiled at him.

"So Hermione might need me for something around lunch time," she explained to him. "She wants to meet up in the Three Broomsticks. Would you be interested in joining me?"

"Sure, why not?" John answered. He looked over at Hermione, who was looking up at the owls hopefully. "Has she said why she needs you?"

"You'll just have to wait," Hermione answered, not looking at either of them. "If I don't get an answer back, it won't matter, anyway." Then she gasped as an owl landed next to her. It dropped a letter next to her plate and then took off again.

"Good morning," Ron said as he and Harry sat down on the bench opposite them. "What's that?"

"About time!" Hermione said, ignoring Ron and Harry. "If it hadn't come today…" She opened the envelope and shook the letter out to read it. After quickly scanning the page, she smiled in triumph. "Listen, Harry," she began, looking up. "This is really important… Do you think you could meet me in the Three Broomsticks around midday?"

"Well…I dunno," Harry replied awkwardly. "Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do."

"Oh right, you have your date with Cho today," Liza said.

"Well, bring her along if you must," Hermione said impatiently. "But will you come?"

"Well…all right, but why?" Harry asked.

"I haven't got the time to tell you now," Hermione said, standing up with the letter in one hand and a bit of toast in the other, "I've got to answer this quickly—" Then she sped from the Great Hall.

"Don't feel bad," Liza said, looking at Harry. "She wouldn't tell me what it is, either. But John and I will be there, too."

"Are you coming?" Harry asked Ron. Ron shook his head, a miserable look on his face.

"I can't come into Hogsmeade at all," he reported, "Angelina wants a full day's training. Like it's going to help—we're the worst team I've ever seen. You should see Sloper and Kirke, they're pathetic, even worse than I am." He sighed and added, "I dunno why Angelina won't just let me resign…"

"It's because you're good when you're on form, that's why," Harry said through gritted teeth. Ron dropped the subject of Quidditch immediately, and a few minutes later he got up to leave for the Quidditch pitch.

"Good luck!" Liza called after him. Then she turned to Harry and John. "When are you meeting Cho?"

"In a few minutes," Harry answered. He picked up a spoon and looked at his reflection in it, running his free hand through his hair.

"Stop it," Liza scolded, reaching across the table and grabbing his wrist. "You actually mess your hair up more when you do that. You look fine." Harry looked at her nervously.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, of course you do," Liza said encouragingly. "Now come on, you don't want to keep her waiting." She turned to John and asked, "Ready to go?" John smiled.

"Ready when you are," he answered. They got up, and John took Liza's hand loosely in his. They walked down the Hall and accompanied Harry into the Entrance Hall. They saw Cho standing near the front doors.

"Good luck," Liza hissed as they got closer.

"Hi," Cho said, her cheeks pink but looking excited.

"Hi," Harry replied. Liza felt her eyebrows raising.

"Hi, Cho," she said. "We hope you two have a nice day. See you later, Harry."

"Bye," Harry and Cho echoed. John waved with his free hand, and then he led Liza out the front doors and down the steps.

"That was a bit awkward," John commented as they walked down the front path towards Hogsmeade.

"Harry's never had a girlfriend before," Liza said. "In fact, before Cho, I don't think he's ever shown any interest in _any_ girl. I'm not surprised that he doesn't know what to do."

"I'm glad I don't have that problem," John said slyly, winking.

"You couldn't even ask me to the Yule Ball!" Liza countered, laughing.

"Yeah, well, we've been together for a while now, so it hardly matters in the long run, does it?" John shot back. Liza grinned, happy that they could spend a few hours together away from school. They had almost reached Hogsmeade when John stopped suddenly and swooped down to kiss Liza.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he pulled away.

"To you, as well," Liza said. "It doesn't bother you to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks later, does it? We don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's fine by me," John replied, waving her off. "Besides, now I'm a little curious as to what her plan is."

They walked down High Street, pausing to look into the windows of various shops. The first one they went into was Honeydukes to pick up some sweets. The inside of the shop was decorated with pink and red for the holiday, and there were sales on Valentine's-themed candy. Liza and John ended up with a bagful each, and when they left the shop, they noticed that it had begun to rain. They pulled their hoods up over their heads and continued up the street to Zonko's Joke Shop.

"Hi Fred, George," Liza greeted when they ran into the twins in the joke shop.

"Morning," Fred said, examining a pair of glasses.

"What are you two doing?" Liza asked, noticing that George was also inspecting one of Zonko's products.

"Doing some field research," George replied. "Checking out what the competition has in stock, you know. Also trying to distract ourselves from the fact that we aren't out training for Quidditch."

"I'm sorry," Liza said.

"It's not your fault," George said, waving a hand dismissively at her. "It's our own, and Malfoy's, and Umbridge's. We're going to get her back one of these days, you can count on that."

"How are you going to do that?" John asked. Fred looked at the two fifth-years, putting a finger to his lips.

"That is our most top secret project," he said, his mouth twitching as though he was trying not to smile. "We've been thinking that, when the time is right, we'll give that old toad what she deserves. I mean, we don't have Quidditch to look forward to anymore, and honestly, there really is no point for us to take our N.E.W.T.s."

"Well, you won't find any arguments here," Liza said. "Just make sure you don't do anything illegal, okay? The last thing you two need is to get chucked into Azkaban or something."

"Don't worry," George said. "Our pranks aren't meant to permanently harm or disfigure. But someday soon, we'll get her back."

"Any more of those decrees and she's going to have a full uprising on her hands," John said, shaking his head.

"Exactly what we were thinking," Fred said, "and we figure it might be up to us to get the rebellion started."

Liza and John left the shop a few minutes later, and Liza couldn't help but be curious about what the twins were planning. They walked lazily up the street, until the rain started to come down harder. John took Liza's hand and pulled her under the awning of a nearby shop.

"Wow," John said as they caught their breath.

"John, look!" Liza said, pointing to a figure running through the rain. It was Cho, and Harry was nowhere to be found.

"She looks upset," John said, squinting to see the Ravenclaw. "I wonder what Harry did to her?"

"Only one way to find out," Liza replied. "Come on, let's head over to the Three Broomsticks. I know we're early, but we can get something to eat." John agreed, and the two of them rushed off to the Three Broomsticks. As they reached the door, they nearly collided with Harry, who was running from the other direction.

"Harry!" Liza gasped.

"Oh," Harry said. "Hi, Liza. John."

"Are you okay?" Liza asked as John pulled the door to the pub open. "What happened? We saw Cho running down the street—"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" Harry interrupted. He went into the pub, followed by Liza and John. They looked around.

"There's Hagrid," Harry said, pointing to a corner of the room. He started to push through the crowd, and Liza and John hurried after him.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry announced when the three of them came up to the table. Hagrid started, looking up from his mug. There were new cuts on his face, and he was looking moody.

"Oh, it's you, Harry," Hagrid said. "You all righ'?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry replied, even though Liza knew he wasn't. "Er—are you okay?"

"Me?" Hagrid asked. "Oh yeah, I'm grand, Harry, grand…" He looked back at the drink in his cup, heaving a sigh. Then he continued, "In the same boat, you an' me, aren' we, Harry?"

"Er—" Harry said.

"Yeah…I've said it before…" Hagrid went on. "Both outsiders, like. An' both orphans. Yeah…both orphans." Liza and John exchanged concerned and confused glances but said nothing. "Makes a diff'rence, havin' a decent family," Hagrid said. "Me dad was decent. An' your mum an' dad were decent. If they'd lived, life woulda bin diff'rent, eh?"

Liza sank back into her chair. If her parents had lived, life would have been far different. For starters, she wouldn't have to keep it a secret that she was a Potter. Maybe Voldemort wouldn't be after Harry now, and they could just have a normal life.

"Yeah…I s'pose," Harry said.

"Family," Hagrid repeated. "Whatever yeh say, blood's important…" Liza looked at John, who was staring at the table. She knew that family was a tough subject for him.

"Hagrid, where are you getting all these injuries?" Harry asked.

"Eh?" Hagrid said. "Wha' injuries?"

"All those!" Harry replied, pointing to the cuts on Hagrid's face.

"Oh…tha's jus' normal bumps an' bruises, Harry," Hagrid replied. "I got a rough job." Liza rose one eyebrow; Hagrid had never had this many cuts in bruises in the five years she'd known him. Hagrid took one last drink out of his mug and said, "I'll be seein' yeh, Harry… Take care now…"

"What is he hiding?" Harry asked in a low voice. Liza shrugged.

"Never mind that now," she said. "Come on, let's get something to eat." She went up to the bar and ordered three sandwiches and three butterbeers for them. When she brought them back to the table, both boys mumbled their thanks.

"Harry! Liza!" a voice called before Liza could sit back down. She turned to see Hermione waving at them from the other side of the room. "Over here!"

"C'mon, that's Hermione," Liza said. The boys obediently picked up their things and followed Liza through the crowd to join Hermione. As she approached, she noticed that there were two other people sitting at the table with Hermione: Luna Lovegood and Rita Skeeter, a former writer for the _Daily Prophet_.

"You're early!" Hermione exclaimed, gesturing to a seat for Harry to sit in. Liza and John took the chairs on the opposite side of the table. "I thought you were with Cho, I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least!"

"Cho?" Rita asked, her eyes lighting up. "A _girl_?" She rummaged around in her bag for a moment.

"It's none of _your_ business if Harry's been with a hundred girls," Hermione snapped. "So you can put that away right now." Rita, who had been pulling out a quill, gave Hermione a sour look and dropped it back into her bag.

"What are you up to?" Harry asked suspiciously, looking between Hermione, Luna, and Rita.

"Little Miss Perfect was just about to tell me when you arrived," Rita said. "I suppose I'm allowed to _talk_ to him, am I?"

"Yes, I suppose you are," Hermione shot back. Liza couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. Rita had written some particularly nasty articles about Harry and Hermione the previous year, so it was almost nice to see Rita looking a bit down on her luck.

"Pretty girl, is she, Harry?" Rita asked out of the side of her mouth.

"One more word about Harry's love life and the deal's off and that's a promise," Hermione said, her voice ringing with annoyance.

"What deal?" Rita asked. "You haven't mentioned a deal yet, Miss Prissy, you just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days…" She let out a dramatic sigh.

"Yes, yes, one of these days you'll write more horrible stories about Harry and me," Hermione said in a bored voice. "Find someone who cares, why don't you?"

"They've run plenty of horrible stories about Harry this year without my help," Rita said. She looked at Harry and stage-whispered, "How has that made you feel, Harry? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"

"He feels angry, of course," Liza spoke up, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, and who's this spirited little thing?" Rita asked, finally looking at Liza and John.

"I'm a friend of Harry's," Liza replied, "and that's all you're getting about me."

"Well, Miss Friend of Harry's, why do you think he feels so angry?" Rita asked.

"Because he told the Minster of Magic the truth," Liza answered, "but the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe him."

"So you actually stick to it, do you, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" Rita asked, turning sharply towards harry. "You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness—"

"I wasn't the sole witness," Harry interrupted. "There were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there as well. Want their names?"

"I'd love them," Rita said, looking overwhelmed. She opened her bag once more as she went on wistfully, "A great bold headline: '_Potter Accuses_…' A subheading: '_Harry Potter Names Death Eaters Still Among Us_.' And then, beneath a nice big photograph of you: '_Disturbed teenage survivor of You-Know-Who's attack, Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters_…'" She had her quill out of her bag when the sour look returned. "But of course Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that story out there, would she?" Rita asked.

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect _does_ want," Hermione answered.

"What?" Liza asked as she, John, Harry, and Rita all stared at her. Luna started singing a verse of "Weasley Is Our King" under her breath.

"You _want_ me to report what he says about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked.

"Yes, I do," Hermione replied firmly. "The true story. All the facts. Exactly as Harry reports them. He'll give you all the details, he'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters he saw there, he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now—oh, get a grip on yourself," Hermione added, throwing a balled-up napkin at Rita, who had jumped and spilled her drink on herself at the usage of Voldemort's name. Liza felt John take her hand under the table and squeeze it; they both knew that John's father was one of the Death Eaters in the graveyard the night Voldemort returned.

"The _Prophet_ wouldn't print it," Rita said stubbornly. "In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. Now, if you let me write the story from that angle—"

"We don't need another story about how Harry's lost his marbles!" Liza snapped. "We've had plenty of those already, thank you!"

"I want him given the opportunity to tell the truth!" Hermione added hotly.

"There's no market for a story like that," Rita insisted.

"You mean the _Prophet_ won't print it because Fudge won't let them," John stated flatly. Rita looked at him, frowning.

"All right," she said after a moment, "Fudge is leaning on the _Prophet_, but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back."

"So the _Daily Prophet_ exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" Hermione asked. Rita glared at her over her drink.

"The _Prophet_ exists to sell itself, you sill girl," she replied.

"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," Luna finally spoke up. She looked at Rita with her large, round eyes. "He publishes important stories that he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money." Rita gave her a patronizing look.

"I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she guessed. "'Twenty-five Ways to Mingle with Muggles' and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly Sale?"

"No, he's the editor of _The Quibbler_," Luna replied simply. Rita let out a loud guffaw, getting the attention of some of the neighboring tables.

"'Important stories he thinks the public needs to know'?" she repeated. "I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag."

"Well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" Hermione said. "Luna says her father's quite happy to take Harry's interview. That's who'll be publishing it." Rita laughed again.

"_The Quibbler_!" she gasped between laughs. "You think people will take him seriously if he's published in _The Quibbler_?"

"Some people won't," Hermione said, shrugging. "But the _Daily Prophet_'s version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a—in a—well, an _unusual_ magazine—I think they might be rather keen to read it." There was silence as Rita stared Hermione down.

"All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," Rita said, sitting up straight. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"

"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," Luna said. "They do it because it's an honor, and, of course, to see their names in print." Rita's eyes went wide.

"I'm supposed to do this _for free_?" she demanded to know.

"Well, yes," Hermione answered. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the _Prophet_ might give you rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban…" Rita gave Hermione a calculating look.

"I don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" she eventually said. She pulled out some parchment from her bag and set the tip of her quill on the page, where it balanced by itself.

"Daddy will be pleased," Luna added, smiling.

"Okay, Harry?" Hermione said. "Ready to tell the public the truth?"

"I suppose," Harry said, looking up at Rita.

"Fire away, then, Rita," Hermione said, sitting back in her chair triumphantly.

**~LJ:NK~**


	22. Chapter 22 The Quibbler

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 22 – The Quibbler**

Liza, Harry, and Hermione were very anxious to see the interview once it was published. Luna wasn't much help, saying she wasn't sure when the article would be printed since her father was waiting on an article about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

"And, of course, that'll be a very important story, so Harry's might have to wait for the following issue," Luna had said. Liza could tell Hermione was trying very hard not to roll her eyes.

At dinner Monday evening, Liza, Harry, and Hermione were sitting beside Dean, Seamus, and Neville when Dean asked why they were looking so tense. Hermione explained to the boys what had happened at Hogsmeade over the weekend.

"Can't wait to see what Umbridge thinks of you going public," Dean said, sounding impressed.

"It's the right thing to do, Harry," Neville commented. "It must have been…tough…talking about it… Was it?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but people have got to know what Voldemort's capable of, haven't they?"

"That's right," Neville said strongly, "and his Death Eaters too… People should know…" Liza looked at Neville in concern, but he went back to stabbing his fork at his baked potato.

A few minutes later, Dean, Seamus, and Neville left for the common room. As Liza watched them walk away, she noticed Cho entering the Great Hall, accompanied by her friend Marietta. Cho didn't spare one glance at the Gryffindor table, and she sat down with her back to Harry.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," Hermione said in a low voice, looking at the Ravenclaw table as well, "what happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?" Liza had told Hermione that she and John had seen Cho running away from Hogsmeade before they met up in the Three Broomsticks.

"Yeah, what the hell happened?" Liza chimed in.

"Er…well, it was…" Harry stammered. He served himself another slice of rhubarb crumble before finishing, "It was a complete fiasco, now you mention it." He launched into telling the girls about what had happened at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

"…so then," he said, "she jumps up, right, and says 'I'll see you around, Harry,' and runs out of the place!" He dropped his spoon unceremoniously onto the table and looked up at the girls. "I mean, what was that all about? What was going on?" Liza and Hermione exchanged exasperated looks.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed. "Well, I'm sorry, but you were a bit tactless."

"_Me_, tactless?" Harry exclaimed. "One minute we were getting on fine, next minute she was telling me that Roger Davies asked her out, and how she used to go and snog Cedric in that stupid tea shop—how was I supposed to feel about that?"

"Well, for one, you shouldn't have told her that you wanted to meet up with Hermione halfway through your date," Liza said evenly.

"But, but," Harry said, his eyes wide as he turned to Hermione, "but—_you_ told me to meet you at twelve and to bring her along, how was I supposed to do that without telling her—?"

"You should have told her differently," Hermione explained. "You should have said it was really annoying, but I'd _made_ you promise to come along to the Three Broomsticks, and you really didn't want to go, you'd much rather spend the whole day with her, but unfortunately you thought you really ought to meet me and would she please, please come along with you, and hopefully you'd be able to get away more quickly? And it might have been a good idea to mention how ugly you think I am too."

"Hermione Granger!" Liza scolded. "You are not ugly!"

"I don't think you're ugly," Harry agreed, confused. Hermione laughed lightly.

"Harry, you're worse than Ron… Well, no, you're not," she said. Her eyes widened, looking at the doors of the Great Hall. Liza turned to see Ron stomping into the room, covered in mud.

"Look—you upset Cho when you said you were going to meet Hermione," Liza said, returning her attention to Harry, "so she tried to make you jealous. It was her way of trying to find out how much you liked her. And it doesn't sound like you did a very good job."

"Is that what she was doing?" Harry asked. Ron had reached them and fell onto the bench next to Harry. He piled a plate full of food and began eating at once. Harry continued, "Well, wouldn't it have been easier if she'd just asked me whether I liked her better than Hermione?"

"Girls don't usually ask questions like that," Liza said.

"Well, they should!" Harry insisted. "Then I could've just told her I fancy her, and she wouldn't have had to get herself all worked up again about Cedric dying!"

"We're not saying what she did was sensible," Hermione said. Ginny had appeared, also covered in mud and looking a bit upset. "We're just trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time," Hermione added.

"You two should write a book," Ron said, "translating mad things girls do so boys can understand them."

"Yeah," Harry answered, looking over at the Ravenclaw table. Liza glanced over to see Cho leaving the hall without looking back. Then Harry looked between Ron and Ginny and asked, "So, how was Quidditch practice?"

"It was a nightmare," Ron replied grumpily.

"Oh come on," Hermione said, "I'm sure it wasn't that—"

"Yes, it was," Ginny interrupted. "It was appalling. Angelina was nearly in tears by the end of it."

"Poor Angelina," Liza murmured.

After dinner, Ron and Ginny went up to their dormitories to wash up. Liza, Harry, and Hermione settled down at one of the tables to try and conquer some of their homework. About half an hour into their work, Fred and George showed up.

"Ron and Ginny not here?" Fred asked. Liza and Harry shook their heads, and the twins sat around the table. "Good," Fred went on. "We were watching their practice. They're going to be slaughtered. They're complete rubbish without us."

"Come on, Ginny's not bad," George said. He furrowed his brow and added, "Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us…"

"She's been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since she was six years old and taking each of your brooms out when you weren't looking," Liza informed them.

"Oh," George said. "Well—that'd explain it."

"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" Hermione asked, looking at the seventh-years over the top of her book.

"Well, he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him," Fred answered. "So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk among themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday." He stood up and walked over to the nearby window. He muttered, "You know, Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for." Hermione looked slightly appalled.

"You've got exams coming!" she said sternly.

"Told you already, we're not fussed about N.E.W.T.s," Fred said, waving her off. "The Snackboxes are ready to roll, we found out how to get rid of those boils, just a couple of drops of murtlap essence sorts them, Lee put us onto it…"

"I dunno if I even want to watch this match," George said through a yawn. "If Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself."

"That's not funny," Liza murmured.

"Kill him, more like," Fred added.

"That's the trouble with Quidditch," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes, "it creates all this bad feeling and tension between the Houses." The boys stared at her, but Liza shrugged.

"It sort of does," she admitted. As much as she loved Quidditch, she saw what it did between the four Houses.

"It's only a game, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, you're good on feelings and stuff," Harry sighed, "but you just don't understand Quidditch."

"Maybe not," Hermione snapped, "but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability." Liza snorted softly.

**~LJ:NK~**

The following Saturday was the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. It felt weird to Liza to have Harry standing beside her in the stands. With the tense way he was standing, Liza knew that he wanted more than anything to be in the air with his fellow Gryffindors.

The nicest way to call the match was a slaughter. Hufflepuff scored twenty-four times, which meant they got past Ron twenty-four times. The Gryffindor Beaters were terrible: one of them hit Angelina in the mouth with his bat, and the other screamed and fell off his broom when Zacharias flew towards him with the Quaffle. The Gryffindors' saving grace was that Ginny managed to catch the Snitch before the Hufflepuffs' Seeker, which made the final score two hundred and forty to two hundred and thirty.

"Good catch," Harry said to Ginny when they were all back in the common room.

"I was lucky," Ginny said dismissively. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you're back on the team—"

"Ginny, I've got a lifelong ban," Harry interrupted.

"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny shot back. "There's a difference."

"She makes a good point," Liza said. "Umbridge probably won't last the year, none of our other Defense teachers have…"

"Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser," Ginny continued. "Angelina and Alicia are both leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway." Harry nodded, looking over at where Ron was slumped in a corner with a butterbeer in his hand.

"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny told them. "She says she knows he's got it in him."

"At this point it might be kinder to just let him leave," Harry muttered.

"I don't think Angelina has the time to try and find a new Keeper this late in the season," Liza pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," Harry sighed. Fred and George joined them, also looking at their brother.

"I haven't got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," Fred said sorrowfully. "Mind you…when he missed the fourteenth…" He waved his arms in the air. "Well, I'll save it for parties, eh?" Ron, who thankfully didn't see Fred's display, went up to bed a few minutes later. Liza and Hermione sat together near the fire for a while after Harry went up to bed, as well.

"It's like someone died," Liza said in a low voice, looking around at her fellow housemates.

"I know," Hermione said, supervising her knitting needles as she made yet another hat for the house-elves. "Is Gryffindor out of the running for the cup?"

"I don't think so," Liza replied. "If we can beat Ravenclaw it'll come down to points, I think. But it would take a miracle to beat Ravenclaw at this rate. Although, I don't think I can stand listening to the Slytherins singing 'Weasley Is Our King' again."

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, they had hardly sat down when the morning mail arrived. Hermione received her copy of the _Daily Prophet_, and Liza was unsurprised to see how many other people were now getting the paper. Ever since the ten Death Eaters had escaped, more students were interested in keeping up to date with what was happening in the outside world.

Liza had barely started eating when another owl landed on the table next to them.

"Who're you after?" Harry asked. He looked at the envelope the owl had in its beak.

"Who's it for?" Liza questioned as Harry continued to stare at the letter.

"Me," Harry answered, surprised. He reached forward to take the letter, but then another five owls landed nearby, all trying to deliver their letters to Harry.

"What's going on?" Ron wondered. The other Gryffindors nearby looked over as more owls swooped down.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "I think I know what this means—open this one first!" She grabbed an owl that was carrying a package instead of a letter and held it out to Harry. Harry took the package and tore it open. It was a copy of _The Quibbler_.

"Is it…?" Liza trailed off as Harry stared at the front cover. He slowly turned it around so the others could see. There on the front was a large photo of Harry himself, with red letters under his face that read:

_Harry Potter Speaks Out At Last:  
>The Truth About He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named<br>And the Night I Saw Him Return_

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna asked, who had appeared from the Ravenclaw table. She plopped down onto the bench between Ron and Fred. "It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these are letters from readers." She gestured to the rest of the owls.

"That's what I thought," Hermione said. "Harry, d'you mind if we—?"

"Help yourself," Harry replied. Liza, Hermione, and Ron started pulling the letters out of the owls' beaks.

"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker," Ron reported. "Ah well…"

"Yeah, this one's the same," Liza said. "Thinks you should be locked up somewhere."

"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's," Hermione said disapprovingly.

"This one thinks you're just trying to start some kind of conspiracy…" Liza said, tossing the letter away.

"This one looks okay, though," Harry said, quickly reading through the letter in his hand. "Hey, she says she believes me!"

"This one's in two minds," Fred said, having eagerly joined in. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now… Blimey, what a waste of parchment…"

"This one says they're suspicious of the _Prophet _now," Liza said hopefully, although as she read the rest of the letter, she sighed. "He doesn't believe that You-Know-Who is back, though."

"Here's another one you've convinced, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "'Having read your side of the story I am forced to the conclusion that the _Daily Prophet_ has treated you very unfairly… Little though I want to think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, I am forced to accept that you are telling the truth…' Oh this is wonderful!"

"Another one who thinks you're barking," Ron said, "but this one says you've got her converted, and she now thinks you're a real hero—she's put in a photograph too—wow—"

"What is going on here?" a voice from behind Liza asked, making them jump. Umbridge was standing there, looking suspiciously at the pile of letters Harry had received. "Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" she questioned.

"Is that a crime now?" Fred said in a loud voice, making sure they had everyone's attention. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," Umbridge said. "Well, Mr. Potter?" Harry hesitated for a moment.

"People have written to me because I gave an interview," Harry said. "About what happened to me last June." Umbridge's eyes widened even further, if that was possible.

"An interview?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," Harry said. "Here—" He tossed _The Quibbler_ to her. She caught it and stared at the front cover. She flushed.

"When did you do this?" she asked.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry replied. Umbridge was losing her cool, and Liza was loving it.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," Umbridge said. "How you dare…how you could…" She stopped for a moment to compose herself. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions."

"How can you be giving him detentions for something he did outside of school?" Liza asked hotly. "It's not any of your business what he does then." Umbridge swelled up.

"I am the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts," she stated angrily. "I may give students detentions for whatever I deem necessary. Twenty more points from Gryffindor, and if you say anything more, I will give you detention as well." Liza smirked, raising her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything more. Umbridge turned on her heel and stalked away.

"Fred, George," Liza said once the professor was out of ear shot, "we need to get as many copies of _The Quibbler_ disguised and into the school as soon as possible. Luna, can you help them out?"

"I have a few extra copies in my dormitory," Luna replied.

"Why do they need to be disguised?" Fred asked quizzically.

"If she sees another copy of that magazine around, she's going to freak out," Liza answered. "We need to distribute this to the students who want to see it without her knowing what it is."

Luna ended up having five copies of the latest issue, and she gladly handed them over to the Weasley twins, who went to work disguising them and making more copies of them. They spent all morning handing them out to other students.

After the first class of the day, large signs appeared all over the school.

_By Order Of  
>The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts<em>

_Any student found in possession of the magazine _The Quibbler_ will be expelled._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven._

_Signed:  
>Dolores Jane Umbridge<br>High Inquisitor_

Hermione and Liza exchanged gleeful looks when they saw the signs for the first time.

"What exactly are you so happy about?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Harry, don't you see?" Hermione said. Harry shook his head.

"If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!" Liza explained, grinning.

She was right: by the end of the day, nearly every student had read the interview. Fred and George had outdone themselves on disguising the magazine. They had handed out copies to nearly half the student body, and the whole school was abuzz about the article.

In the middle of the day, Liza was approached by multiple people who asked about the article. Hermione had, as well, and they both were quick to tell Harry that many of the students seemed convinced now.

Umbridge went on a rampage throughout the day, stopping people in corridors and demanding to see their belongings. Since the magazine had been disguised so well, she never found a trace of the article, and she was furious as to how everyone seemed to have read it.

The other professors seemed very pleased about the interview, as well. They weren't allowed to talk about it, thanks to Decree Twenty-Six, but they found ways to show Harry how grateful they were. Professor Sprout gave him twenty points when he passed her a watering can, and Professor Flitwick gave him a box of candy at the end of his class. Harry said even Professor Trelawney, instead of predicting his death as she usually did, told him that he would have twelve children, become Minister of Magic, and live to be quite old.

The next day before Transfiguration class, Cho met up with Harry just outside of their classroom to make up with him. Liza and Hermione exchanged sly grins when Cho had left again and Harry joined them, blushing slightly.

"Well, that looked like a good sign," Liza said. Harry shrugged and nodded at the same time. Then Seamus stepped forward, surprising everyone.

"I just wanted to say," he said to Harry, looking at the floor, "I believe you. And I've sent a copy of the magazine to me mam."

"Thanks," Harry said, looking quite embarrassed.

Later that afternoon, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza were in the library, they spotted Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott huddled together near them. All four of the Slytherins looked at Harry menacingly but didn't say anything.

"The best bit is," Hermione said in a low, gleeful voice as they left the library, "they can't contradict you, because they can't admit they've read the article!"

"I dunno," Liza said, frowning. "I have a feeling Umbridge wouldn't be so upset if she found out that they had read it."

At dinner, Luna came over to the Gryffindor table to tell them that this copy of _The Quibbler_ had sold out faster than any other before it.

"Dad's reprinting!" she said. "He can't believe it, he says people seem even more interested in this than the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!"

"Imagine that," Hermione muttered to Liza.

That night, Fred and George threw a party in the common room for Harry. They had taken Harry's photo from the cover of _The Quibbler_ and blown it up. It hung on one wall. The twins had also cast a charm on it so that the photo would say things like "The Ministry are morons" and "Eat dung, Umbridge". Liza and Ron found it greatly amusing, but Hermione complained about how it was distracting her from her homework. She went up to bed fairly early.

Harry found himself surrounded by his fellow Gryffindors, answering questions they had about the interview. Soon after Hermione went upstairs, however, Harry announced he was tired as well, and he left for the boys' dormitories.

"Thanks for all your help," Liza said to the twins a little while later as they sat in front of the fire.

"Dung!" the giant Harry photo said feebly; the spell that made it speak as beginning to wear off.

"No problem," Fred said, grinning. "Anything to help in the rebellion against Umbridge."

"A rebellion?" Liza repeated. "This interview was just a chance for Harry to get the truth out there. I don't think anyone's talking about starting a rebellion."

"Maybe not quite yet," George said, "but it's got to happen. That old gargoyle is going to get what's coming to her. Besides, you're already part of the rebellion, you're in the D.A."

"I suppose I never thought of it that way," Liza said. "I hope you two are ready to lead us into battle, then." She smiled.

"You can count on us," Fred replied.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next day during morning break, Harry told Hermione and Liza that he had had another dream. This time he had been inside Voldemort, and he'd been having a meeting with a Death Eater named Rookwood. Rookwood was among the group of Azkaban escapees, and he used to work in the Department of Mysteries.

"Bode was under the Imperius Curse," Harry told the girls in a low voice. "I think they said that Malfoy had been the one to do it. Under the curse, they tried to force Bode to remove something from the Ministry… But Rookwood said Bode would have known that he couldn't remove the item."

"An item?" Liza asked. "You don't think it could be—?"

"The weapon," Harry finished, nodding. "Apparently a Death Eater named Avery gave Voldemort bad information."

"So that's why they killed him," Hermione murmured. "When Bode tried to steal this weapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must be defensive spells on it, or around it, to stop people from touching it. That's why he was in St. Mungo's, his brain had gone all funny and he couldn't talk. But remember what the Healer told us?"

"He was recovering," Liza said, remembering their visit over Christmas. "They couldn't risk him getting better, could they?"

"Right," Hermione said, nodding. "The shock of whatever happened when he touched that weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'd explain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have known he'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easy for Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry, is he?"

"He was even hanging around that day I had my hearing," Harry said. "In the—hang on… He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day! Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing, but what if—?"

"Sturgis," Hermione said suddenly.

"Sorry?" Ron asked, frowning in confusion.

"Sturgis Podmore," Hermione replied. "Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak, right? So what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move, or guessed he was there, or just did the Imperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there? So when Sturgis next had an opportunity—probably when it was his turn on guard duty again—he tried to get into the department to steal the weapon for Voldemort—Ron, be quiet—but he got caught and sent to Azkaban…"

"And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?" Liza asked, looking at Harry.

"I didn't hear all the conversation, but that's what it sounded like," Harry answered. "Rookwood used to work there… Maybe Voldemort'll send Rookwood to do it?"

"But if Bode was an Unspeakable and he couldn't do it, surely Rookwood wouldn't be able to do it, would he?" Liza pointed out. There was a few moments of silence while the four Gryffindors pondered what this meant.

"But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry," Hermione spoke up.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sort of thing," Hermione clarified.

"I know I am," Harry replied. "But—"

"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," Hermione said firmly. "And you ought to put in a bit more effort on your Occlumency from now on."

**~LJ:NK~**

In the next few weeks, there was still a lot of talk about Harry's interview. The attention on him had died down a little, but a lot more of the students seemed at ease with him rather than frightened of him.

"Still no word from your parents about the article?" Liza asked John one night. They were standing in the Entrance Hall close to the door to the Great Hall.

"No word," John replied. "There's always a chance that they haven't read it at all. The _Prophet_ is still refusing to print anything from Harry's side of the story, and as far as I know, my parents have never read _The Quibbler_."

Suddenly there was a scream. John and Liza looked bewilderedly around the Entrance Hall, but neither of them saw anything for a moment.

"Look," John said, pointing to the top of the marble staircase. He stepped closer to Liza, putting one hand to the small of her back. Liza looked to where he was pointing and saw Professor Trelawney stumbling backwards down the stairs, her wand in her hand. In her other hand was a bottle of sherry.

"You cannot do this!" she was shrieking to someone who Liza couldn't see. She took a few more steps, tripped, and landed on the Entrance Hall floor.

"Professor!" Liza gasped. She was about to take a step forward when John grabbed the tops of her arms and held her in place.

"It's Umbridge," he whispered in her ear. Liza looked back to the marble stairs and saw Umbridge slowly descending, levitating two trunks ahead of her. Then, with a flick of her wand, she sent the trunks flying down to the Entrance Hall, landing in the middle of the floor.

"You cannot be serious!" Professor Trelawney shouted, struggling to get to her feet.

"I'm afraid I am quite serious," Umbridge replied in her sickly girlish voice. Students began to trickle out of the Great Hall now, trying to find the source of the screaming.

"This—this—you _can't_!" Professor Trelawney cried.

"Pardon me," a voice from behind John and Liza said. "What on earth is going on out here—?" Professor McGonagall had appeared from the Great Hall, and she stopped short when she saw the scene in front of her.

"In fact, you'll find that I _can_," Umbridge said to Professor Trelawney, grinning widely.

"No!" Professor Trelawney yelled. "NO! This cannot be happening… It cannot...I refuse to accept it!"

"You didn't realize this was coming?" Umbridge asked. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked!"

"You c-can't!" Professor Trelawney wailed. "You c-can't sack me! I've b-been here sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"

"It _was_ your home," Umbridge corrected, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us." But there was a look of almost pure joy on her face as she surveyed Professor Trelawney, who had sunk into a sitting position onto one of her trunks.

Then Professor McGonagall was walking forward. She went to Professor Trelawney and put her arm around the woman's shoulders. She fished a handkerchief from her robes and held it out.

"There, there, Sibyll… Calm down… Blow your nose on this," Professor McGonagall instructed gently. "It's not as bad as you think, now… You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts…"

"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" Umbridge asked, her eyes flashing. She also took a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is…?"

"That would be mine," a voice said loudly from the front doors of the castle. They swung open, and Dumbledore swept into the Entrance Hall, looking powerful. He joined Professors McGonagall and Trelawney in the center of the Hall.

"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" Umbridge repeated. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here," she pulled a scroll out of her robes, "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she—that is to say, I—feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her." Dumbledore merely smiled pleasantly.

"You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge," he said evenly. "As High Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts." Professor Trelawney let out a strange noise.

"No—no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore!" she stated dramatically. "I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere—"

"No," Dumbledore commanded firmly. "It is my wish that you remind, Sibyll." He turned to Professor McGonagall and asked, "Might I ask you to escort Sibyll back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course," Professor McGonagall replied. "Up you get, Sibyll…" Professors Sprout and Flitwick came hurrying forward. Professor Sprout helped guide Professor Trelawney up the stairs, while Professor Flitwick levitated the two trunks behind them.

The focus of the student body shifted back to Umbridge and Dumbledore.

"And what are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?" Umbridge asked.

"Oh, that won't be a problem," Dumbledore said. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."

"You've found—?" Umbridge sputtered. "_You've_ found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-Two—"

"—the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if—and only if—the headmaster is unable to find one," Dumbledore finished for her. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?" He turned back to the front doors.

There was a sound of hooves coming from the grounds. A few moments later, a centaur appeared, trotting into the Entrance Hall.

"This is Firenze," Dumbledore said, smiling at the dumbstruck look on Umbridge's face. "I think you'll find him suitable."

**~LJ:NK~**


	23. Chapter 23 Found Out

_**A/N: Ack, another short chapter. Sorry about that!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 23 – Found Out**

A few days later, Liza was having breakfast with her fellow Gryffindor fifth-years. Lavender and Parvati seemed particularly excited because the fifth-years who took Divination were having their first lesson with Firenze that morning.

"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" Parvati asked. She was examining her hair in the back of her spoon.

"Not really," Hermione said, not looking up from her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. "I've never really liked horses."

"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" Lavender gasped.

"A _gorgeous_ centaur…" Parvati added wistfully.

"Either way, he's still got four legs," Hermione pointed out. "Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawney had gone?"

"We are!" Lavender exclaimed. "We went up to her office to see her, we took her some daffodils—not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones…"

"How is she?" Harry asked.

"Not very good, poor thing," Lavender sighed. "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle forever than stay here if Umbridge is still here, and I don't blame her. Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"

"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," Liza said.

"Impossible," Ron said. "She can't get any worse than she's been already."

"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," Hermione said, folding up her newspaper.

"Especially another part human," Liza said. "You saw the look on her face when she saw Firenze."

After lunch, Liza and Hermione left the others to go to Arithmancy. When class was finished, they met back up with Harry and Ron.

"Firenze gave us a message for Hagrid," Harry said immediately. "He told me to tell Hagrid that his attempt is not working, and he would do better to abandon it."

"His attempt to do what?" Hermione asked. "What should he abandon?"

"I don't know, that's all Firenze said," Harry said.

"So like a centaur," Liza sighed. She and Hermione exchanged thoughtful glances.

"Well, it must be something in the forest," Hermione reasoned. "How else would Firenze know about it?"

"Why can't Firenze just tell Hagrid himself?" Liza asked the boys.

"He's been kicked out of his herd for agreeing to help Dumbledore," Ron answered.

"I wonder if this attempt of his is what's getting him all those cuts and bruises," Hermione said.

"Well, maybe he'll tell us when we deliver the message," Harry said.

**~LJ:NK~**

It wasn't until a few weeks later that Harry was able to give Hagrid Firenze's message. Since Umbridge was attending every one of their Care of Magical Creatures classes and they couldn't visit Hagrid in the evenings, Harry had to make an excuse to go back to Hagrid's cabin after class one day.

"So?" Liza asked expectantly when Harry caught up with them again.

"Well, I gave him Firenze's message," Harry reported, "but he said that the attempt is going well and that Firenze doesn't know what he's talking about. Then I asked him what he was up to because Umbridge would sack him on the spot if she found out he was doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing, and he just said that there are things more important than keeping his job."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Ron said. "I'm almost surprised Umbridge has let him stay this long."

**~LJ:NK~**

Soon, April had arrived, soggy but with warmer weather. The teachers were now constantly reminding the fifth-years that their O.W.L.s were coming up. They were receiving more homework than ever, causing them to have many late nights in the common room. The stress was really beginning to show, as well. Hannah Abbott was the first student Liza saw sent to Madam Pomfrey for a Calming Draught after she burst into tears in Herbology, saying she wanted to leave school.

Thankfully, Liza still had the D.A. to look forward to. Everyone in the group had massively improved, even Dennis Creevey, who was the youngest one.

During their last meeting before the Easter holidays, Harry finally let them practice the Patronus Charm, something they had all been looking forward to. Many of them were able to produce their Patronus. Harry had to remind them that casting the charm in the middle of a classroom with no threat around was much easier than if they were facing a dementor.

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," Cho said, watching her swan Patronus fly around the room. "They're so pretty!"

"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," Harry said. "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor—"

"But that would be really scary!" Lavender interrupted, waving her wand again. Nothing but silver vapors were coming out of the end of it. "And I still—can't—do it!"

Lavender wasn't the only one having problems casting her Patronus. Neville was also only making silvery wisps come out of his wand.

"You've got to think about something happy," Liza told him, watching as her own cat Patronus drifted lazily around her head; it looked just like her cat Boots.

"I'm trying," Neville said, his face screwed up in concentration.

"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" Seamus called from the opposite side of the room. This was his first D.A. meeting ever, and he was determined to make up for his behavior from earlier in the year. "Look—ah—it's gone… But it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"

"They _are_ sort of nice, aren't they?" Hermione commented. Her Patronus was an otter, and it was swimming through the air near her.

"Hopefully we'd be able to produce one in a dangerous situation," John added from next to Liza, looking in amazement as a stallion burst from the end of his wand, charging across the room and back. Liza's cat floated over to the stallion and sat on its back.

Suddenly the door to the Room of Requirement opened and closed. Everyone looked around, but Liza couldn't see anyone there.

"Hi, Dobby!" Harry said. Liza turned to see Dobby clutching onto Harry's robes. "What are you—what's wrong?" The remaining Patronuses in the room vanished as everyone stared at the house-elf, who looked quite fearful.

"Harry Potter, sir…" Dobby started, "Harry Potter, sir… Dobby has come to warn you…but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…" Then he was sprinting towards the wall. Harry lunged after the elf but missed. Thanks to the tower of hats on Dobby's head, however, he merely bounced off the wall, unharmed. Hermione and some other people let out noises of sympathy.

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, holding Dobby's arm securely so he couldn't attempt to harm himself again.

"Harry Potter…she…she…" Dobby stammered. He hit himself with his free hand, and Harry grabbed it.

"Who's 'she', Dobby?" Harry asked.

"Umbridge?" Liza questioned softly, her heart rate increasing. Dobby nodded before trying to hit his head against Harry's knee.

"What about her?" Harry pressed. "Dobby—she hasn't found out about this—about us—about the D.A.?" Dobby stared at Harry, trying to kick himself, and Harry sunk onto his knees. "Is she coming?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, yes!" Dobby cried. Harry stood up and looked around the room for a moment.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry shouted. "RUN!"

Nobody wasted time running for the exit. John grabbed onto Liza's hand and they joined the group of students pushing through the door.

"Harry, come on!" Hermione yelled from behind Liza somewhere. Liza and John made it out into the corridor.

"This way!" Liza said, tugging John's hand to follow her. They rushed off down the hall, skidding around the corner and down a flight of stairs.

"In here!" John said, stopping suddenly. He pulled open a cupboard door and pulled Liza inside with him. They shut the door and leaned against the back wall, breathing heavily.

"We need to calm down," Liza said. "If someone catches us it'll look too suspicious if we're out of breath. Too bad we don't have any of that Calming Draught Madam Pomfrey's giving out."

"Just take deep breaths," John said. He took Liza's face in both of his hands and rested his forehead against hers. Together they took deep breaths until their breathing evened out.

When Liza was feeling calm, she took John's left hand away from her face and checked the watch on his wrist.

"Five to nine," she said. "We need to get back to our common rooms so we're not out past curfew." John nodded his understanding, rubbing his right thumb against Liza's temple.

"I wonder if everyone else got away," he said quietly. "I hope Mary got back to our common room safely."

"I want to know how Umbridge found out about us," Liza said. "Well, come on. We'd better go. And if anyone asks where you were, say the library."

"I will," John said. He pressed a kiss onto Liza's mouth briefly before dropping both his hands. Liza pushed the cupboard door open slowly, looking around for signs of Umbridge.

"The coast is clear," Liza said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Same to you," John said. Then they parted ways. Liza walked slowly back to the common room, hoping that everyone else was all right and thinking of how Umbridge could have found them out. Soon she was outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. She gave the password and climbed into the portrait hole.

"Liza!" Hermione exclaimed. "You're all right!"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Liza answered. "Everybody else make it back?" She looked around at the group of Gryffindors huddled together, all of whom were looking shaken.

"Everyone except…well…" Hermione said, biting her lip anxiously.

"Where's Harry?" Liza asked. There were several shrugs throughout the group. "Damn it," Liza cursed quietly. "Probably the one person we _really_ didn't want to get caught."

"Well, maybe he's still hiding out somewhere," Hermione suggested hopefully.

"If he was hiding out, he should have been able to make it back by now," Ron said in a low voice. Liza joined the rest of the group in silence, waiting to see what happened next.

About half an hour later, Liza looked up suddenly.

"Can you hear whispering?" she asked Ginny, who was sitting next to her. Ginny frowned.

"Shut up for a minute," she shushed the other D.A. members. They all quieted as Liza and Ginny strained their ears to find the source of the hissing.

"It's coming from there!" Ginny announced, pointing at one of the paintings on the wall. Everyone turned to look at it, and they noticed that there was a figure in the portrait that didn't belong there. It was whispering to the occupants of the portrait.

"What are you whispering about?" Liza asked, standing up and walking over to the picture. The figure gasped in surprise before turning to see the group of students standing in front of him.

"Good evening," he said, sweeping his hat off of his head and bowing low. "I just had some business to attend to with these lovely people." He gestured to the occupants of the photo.

"Cut the crap," Liza scoffed. "You were whispering. Since when did portraits whisper, unless they didn't want us to hear it? What happened?"

"I recognize you," Neville spoke up from the middle of the group. "You're in a painting in Dumbledore's office, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, good fellow," the man said. "But we were just gossiping. Nothing important, you see—"

"If it's not important, why can't you tell us?" Ginny asked. The others around her murmured their agreement.

"Well—well—all right, all right," the man said. "It seems that Dumbledore has had a little argument with the Minister of Magic tonight."

"Fudge was here?" Fred asked.

"Yes," the man said, looking pleased to have such rapt attention. "The High Inquisitor called him and a few Aurors to come into the school tonight. She claims to have apprehended a student who was in charge of an illegal organization."

"Who?" Ginny demanded to know. "Who did she apprehend?"

"Well, Mr. Harry Potter, of course," he said. "He and Dumbledore then informed the Minister that the Headmaster had formed a group of students called Dumbledore's Army, and that they were to have their first meeting tonight. Naturally the Minister was going to arrest Dumbledore for plotting against him, but Dumbledore managed to escape." There was shocked silence for a few seconds.

"Dumbledore told the Minister that _he_ was responsible for forming the group?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore escaped?" Liza repeated. "You mean he isn't here anymore? He's left Hogwarts?"

"That's what I said," the man in the portrait replied, nodding. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other paintings to inform." Then he stepped sideways out of the portrait and disappeared before anyone could ask him anymore questions.

Behind the group, they heard the portrait hole opening. They all turned to see Harry step into the common room, looking exhausted.

"Harry!" Liza exclaimed. "You have to tell us what happened! There was a man from a painting in Dumbledore's office who was just here telling us that Dumbledore is gone!"

"How did Umbridge find out about us?" Hermione added. Harry sunk into a chair, and the Gryffindor D.A. members crowded around him.

"Malfoy caught me before I could escape," Harry started. "He and some of his Slytherin friends are helping Umbridge for some reason. She must be offering them something in return. Everyone else made it back okay though?" He glanced around at all of them, a look of relief on his face as he counted them all.

"Tell us what happened!" Ginny demanded for them all. Harry sighed.

"Umbridge took me to Dumbledore's office," he began. "Fudge was there, and—and Percy," the Weasleys and Liza exchanged dark looks, "and two Aurors. Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklebolt." He paused to shoot a meaningful look to Hermione, Liza, and the Weasleys. "So then they brought in the person who gave us up. It was Marietta."

"Cho's friend?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "She had the word 'sneak' written in pimples on her face. How did that happen, by the way?" Hermione flushed.

"Well, like I told you, if anyone told on us we'd be able to know," she said. "I put a jinx on the list that would do that to anyone who reported us."

"Brilliant," Ron said, looking at Hermione with his jaw hung open.

"So then Umbridge said that someone in the Hog's Head had overheard us when we were forming the group," Harry continued. "Some bloke named Willy. That's why she put the Decree into place that banned student organizations."

"So I was half-right," Ron said. "I said someone must have told on us."

"Then Umbridge asked Marietta if we had been meeting for the last six months, since we wouldn't be in trouble if we hadn't had any meetings," Harry said. "And for some reason, Marietta said that we hadn't had a meeting since we met in the Hog's Head."

"Did she change her mind and want to help us?" Fred asked.

"No," Harry said. "I think someone in the room made her say no."

"Dumbledore?" Dean spoke up.

"Maybe," Harry said evenly. "Well, then Umbridge got upset and started shaking Marietta, and Dumbledore finally raised his wand at her. Then Umbridge showed the others that Pansy Parkinson, who had been helping her, had gone into the Room of Requirement and found the list of names. So she knows which of us were part of the group and what we named it."

"I bet Fudge didn't like that," George said, smirking.

"He didn't," Harry replied, nodding. "That's when Dumbledore decided to take the fall for us. He told Fudge that _he_ had organized the group, and Fudge accused him of conspiring against the Ministry. But when Fudge attempted to arrest Dumbledore, Dumbledore escaped."

"But how did he escape?" Neville asked anxiously.

"Fawkes," Harry answered simply. "His phoenix. Phoenixes are really magically powerful, so Fawkes was able to transport Dumbledore away from the school. Then McGonagall escorted me back here."

There was silence for a moment while the Gryffindors around Harry processed what he had witnessed.

"What's going to happen now that Dumbledore is gone?" Lavender asked in a small voice. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know," he said.

In the next few minutes, the others in the group moved away, leaving Liza, Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone.

"There's more," Harry said in a low voice once everyone else was out of earshot.

"What?" Liza asked sharply.

"Sh!" Harry hissed. "The reason Marietta told Umbridge and the others that we hadn't been meeting for the last six months was because Kingsley modified her memory."

"Right there in front of the Minister?" Ron asked, looking impressed.

"Then, before Dumbledore escaped, he hexed Fudge, Umbridge, Dawlish, and Kingsley," Harry continued, "although he only hexed Kingsley to make it look less suspicious. Then he told McGonagall that Fudge would regret what he had done, making Dumbledore leave. Then he told me that I had to work really hard on my Occlumency and that I had to concentrate on closing my mind. He told me I'd understand someday. But when he touched my wrist, I—I wanted to attack him. I felt like I was the snake again, and I wanted to bite him." Harry stopped abruptly, looking horrified.

"This is why he wants you to learn Occlumency," Liza said gently, patting Harry on the arm. "If you learn to close your mind, hopefully these feelings will go away." Harry nodded glumly.

"We should get to bed," Hermione added firmly. "There is no way I'm going to be able to do homework tonight."

As Liza climbed the stairs to her dormitory a few minutes later, she couldn't help the feeling of dread and helplessness that was settling in her heart. No Dumbledore meant that Umbridge would surely have more free reign over the school. Liza wasn't sure how much more of Umbridge she could take.

**~LJ:NK~**


	24. Chapter 24 Fireworks

_**A/N: It's been a while, but this chapter was stubborn. It also covers two book chapters. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 24 – Fireworks**

The next morning, a sign went up all around the school.

_By Order Of  
>The Ministry of Magic<em>

_Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight._

_Signed:  
>Cornelius Oswald Fudge<br>Minister of Magic_

The whole school knew the story of how Dumbledore had escaped from the Minister, Umbridge, and two Aurors the night before. Liza expected that the paintings had a lot to do with the students' extensive knowledge. Of course, as the story flew around the school, some versions of it became a bit far-fetched.

"I heard the Minister is in St. Mungo's with a pumpkin for a head!" Liza heard a second-year girl say to her friends that afternoon.

"Really, a pumpkin?" Liza asked John in a quiet voice. "These stories are getting crazier by the hour."

All throughout the day, Harry was bombarded with questions, as all the students seemed to know that he and Marietta were the only two witnesses. Marietta was currently in the hospital wing.

Ernie eagerly asked for the story at the end of Herbology, and Harry recounted it for him.

"Dumbledore will be back before long," Ernie said as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza walked back up to the school after class. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me…" He lowered his voice and continued, "…that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her. Apparently she had a right little tantrum…"

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office," Hermione said darkly. They had reached the front stairs and entered the castle. "Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old—"

"Now, do you _really_ want to finished that sentence, Granger?" a voice asked from behind them. They all turned to see Malfoy walking towards them, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. The Slytherins stopped and Malfoy added, "Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"You can't take points from fellow prefects, Malfoy," Ernie said promptly.

"I know _prefects _can't dock points from each other," Malfoy said, grinning evilly. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad—"

"The _what_?" Liza asked, wrinkling her nose.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Jones," Malfoy repeated, pointing out the silver _I_ badge pinned to his robes underneath his prefect one. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Minister of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad _do_ have the power to dock points… So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress… Macmillan, five for contradicting me… Five from Jones for interrupting me…" Liza rolled her eyes. "Five because I don't like you, Potter… Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that… Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that…"

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione immediately pushed his wrist away.

"Don't!" she hissed at him.

"Wise move, Granger," Malfoy said, smirking. "New Head, new times… Be good now, Potty…Weasel King…" He turned and sauntered away, Crabbe and Goyle in his wake.

"He was bluffing," Ernie said, looking horrified. "He can't be allowed to dock points…that would be ridiculous… It would completely undermine the prefect system…"

"I don't think Umbridge quite cares about the prefect system right now, Ernie," Liza said. Ernie shrugged helplessly and departed for lunch. Liza glanced over at the hourglasses on the wall next to the door of the Great Hall. The four glasses kept track of the house points. As Liza and the others watched, various stones from the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw bulbs flew upwards, subtracting points from the houses.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred and George were walking over to the fifth-years, looking annoyed.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," Harry said, glaring as more rubies flew up from the Gryffindor hourglass.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," George said.

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"He never managed to get all the words out," Fred answered, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." Liza, Ron, and Harry all let out laughs, but Hermione looked appalled.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" she said.

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," Fred said dismissively. "Anyway…we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" Hermione asked.

"'Course we have," George said. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," Fred added.

"That might be up for debate," Liza said, grinning at the twins.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," George agreed, smirking back.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," Fred finished.

"But now?" Ron asked.

"Well, now—" George said.

"—what with Dumbledore gone—" Fred continued.

"—we reckon a bit of mayhem—" George went on.

"—is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," Fred ended satisfactorily.

"So you're going to start the rebellion, then?" Liza asked eagerly.

"We told you we'd be ready to lead the students into battle," George replied, winking.

"You mustn't!" Hermione gasped. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" Fred said gently. "We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway," he paused to check his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"You'll see," George said. "Run along, now."

"Hey!" Liza shouted after them as they turned to go. They glanced over their shoulders at her, and she said, "Be careful."

"We always are," Fred said, snapping off a quick salute. Then they were gone, pushing through the crowd heading into the Great Hall.

"I think we _should _get out of here, you know," Hermione said quietly. "Just in case…"

"Yeah, all right," Ron agreed, and the four of them entered the Great Hall. Liza followed Hermione a few steps when they heard a voice behind them.

"The headmistress would like to see you, Potter." Filch was standing in front of Harry, smiling wickedly.

"I didn't do it," Harry said automatically.

"Guilty conscience, eh?" Filch asked. "Follow me…" Harry looked back at his friends helplessly, but all they could do was shrug.

"I wonder what she wants with him," Hermione said aloud as she and Ron took a seat at Gryffindor table. Liza sat across from them.

"Who wants what with who?" John had arrived, sitting down next to Liza and kissing her quickly on the cheek.

"Harry was just called into Umbridge's office," Liza told him. "So how is it living with the Inquisitorial Squad?"

"It's the same as always," John replied. "They won't dock points from their own house, but they've been giving out some excessive detentions to some of our housemates."

"I can't believe she's getting away with this," Hermione seethed. "An Inquisitorial Squad that can take points away from any student they want, and for any reason? It's completely ridiculous!"

"You heard Fred and George," Ron said. "They're going to give her something to worry about."

"They've been saying that for months, and they have yet to follow through," Hermione countered, frowning.

"I think they're serious this time, though," Liza said. "You heard them, something about phase one about to begin…" Hermione's forehead wrinkled, still looking unconvinced. The rest of them began their lunch in silence.

Then there was an explosion.

"What the hell was that?" Liza asked, jumping up from the bench. Her friends were quickly on their feet, as well.

"It's coming from upstairs somewhere," Ron said. The four of them ran down the Great Hall, along with many of the other students. They skidded across the Entrance Hall and hurtled up the stairs.

When they reached the first floor, the first thing they saw a dragon made of green and gold sparks flying above the students' heads. Looking around, Liza saw some rockets whizzing around the corridor and a pack of sparklers writing curse words in the air.

"Fireworks!" she exclaimed, grinning as she glanced at John.

"Why aren't they fading away?" Hermione asked, looking puzzled yet intrigued. They watched as a group of shooting stars zoomed past them.

"Do you think this was Fred's and George's big plan?" Ron asked.

"It has to be," Liza replied. They walked down the corridor, watching the different fireworks flying around.

Suddenly, Umbridge and Filch stumbled down a set of stairs.

"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" Umbridge shouted, her wand held high above her head. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something—_Stupefy_!" Her spell burst from the end of her wand and collided with a nearby rocket. Unfortunately for the High Inquisitor, the firework didn't freeze; instead, it exploded with a loud bang, puncturing a hole in a nearby painting.

"Don't Stun them, Filch!" Umbridge commanded. Liza snorted, knowing that since Filch was a Squib, he wouldn't have been able to Stun the fireworks in the first place.

"Right you are, Headmistress!" Filch cried. He opened a cupboard, pulled out a broom, and began waving it at a passing dragon. Soon the head of the broom was on fire.

"This is _amazing_," Liza said.

Throughout the rest of the day, the fireworks spread around the school. They excelled at interrupting classes, and surprisingly, the other professors didn't seem to mind the intrusions.

"Dear, dear," Professor McGonagall sighed during Transfiguration. A dragon had flown into the classroom, spitting flames from its mouth. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"

Professor McGonagall wasn't the only teacher who was calling Umbridge to get rid of the fireworks. Umbridge spent the entire afternoon being summoned to help out. It didn't seem like any of the other teachers were trying hard to destroy the fireworks themselves.

At the end of the day, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza were heading back to Gryffindor tower, they passed Umbridge emerging from Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"Thank you so much, Professor!" Professor Flitwick said from the doorway. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the _authority_…" Then he shut the door in Umbridge's face.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza chuckled all the way back to the common room. Once inside, they found Fred and George swarmed by their fellow Gryffindors. The four fifth-years waited their turn until they were able to push through the crowd to congratulate the twins.

"That was amazing!" Liza squealed, throwing her arms around first Fred and then George.

"They were wonderful fireworks," Hermione agreed.

"Thanks," George said, looking pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're goin to have to start again from scratch now…"

"Bet it was worth it, though!" Liza exclaimed.

"It was totally worth it," Fred said, pausing his writing for a moment. He was taking orders from their eager housemates. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box, and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe…"

Hermione, looking a bit flustered, shook her head. Harry and Ron didn't put their names down, either, but Liza quickly signed her name for a Basic Blaze box. She handed over five Galleons, as well, earning a cheeky grin from George.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Liza made to work on their homework when Hermione stopped them.

"Oh, why don't we have a night off?" Hermione suggested, beaming as a silver rocket flew past the window outside. "After all, the Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then…" Harry, Ron, and Liza stared at her in shock.

"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked.

"Now that you mention it," Hermione began slyly, "d'you know…I think I'm feeling a bit…_rebellious_."

"Yes!" Liza shouted, pumping her fist in the air. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" Hermione laughed and shook her head.

**~LJ:NK~**

"Harry?" Liza watched, startled, as Harry slunk into the library the next night. He was supposed to be at his Occlumency lesson with Snape. Liza noticed that he looked upset.

"Oh, hi," he mumbled, joining her at her table. "I thought you would be in the common room. It's the night before holidays…"

"I had an early study date with John," Liza explained, "and I decided to stick around and see if I could finish any of this extra work. Sit down." Harry complied, still looking grim. "What happened? Shouldn't you be at your Occlumency lesson?"

"Nothing happened," Harry answered quickly. "They, uh, found Montague in an upstairs toilet, so Snape had to see to that."

"_In _a toilet?" Liza repeated, bewildered. "What the hell was he doing there?"

"That's where he came out when Fred and George pushed him through the Vanishing Cabinet," Harry reminded her. He looked down, fiddling with the sleeve of his robes, and Liza frowned.

"Something happened," she concluded. "Come on, out with it."

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry muttered.

"Harry Potter, I know you well enough by now to know that something's bothering you," Liza scolded, "and you'll feel much better when you tell someone what's wrong." Harry scowled.

"I saw Cho before I went to Snape's office," he began. "She tried to tell me that Marietta was a 'lovely person who made a mistake.'" He scoffed. "How could Cho think that after her friend sold us all out?"

"Sometimes we don't want to see the flaws of the people we're closest to," Liza suggested, shrugging.

"Well, then Cho said that Hermione should have told us that she'd jinxed the list," Harry continued, "and then we had a bit of a row. She stormed off." Liza raised her eyebrows.

"If you don't mind me saying, I don't think you two are meant for each other," she said. "On paper, you two see like you'd be mighty cute together, but the way you two argue…" Harry nodded, falling silent again. Liza surveyed him for a moment.

"There's something else," she guessed. Harry glanced up at her, surprised.

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"Please, I can read your face like a book," Liza answered. "Something must have happened in Snape's office." Harry let out a long sigh.

"Before I tell you anything, can you promise to keep this to yourself?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," Liza replied immediately. She closed her text book, put her elbows on the table, and rested her chin in both hands.

"After Snape left to help Montague, I saw a Pensieve sitting on his desk," Harry said. "Do you remember what a Pensieve is?"

"Isn't it the bowl with all the memories inside it?" Liza asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered, nodding. "I saw all those past Ministry trials in Dumbledore's last year. Anyways, Snape had one sitting on his desk, and my curiosity got the better of me."

"Oh, Harry, you didn't," Liza groaned.

"I couldn't help it," Harry admitted. "I was still angry about the argument with Cho, and then Malfoy was the one to deliver the news about Montague to Snape, so he thought I was there for Remedial Potions… I just dove head first into the Pensieve."

"You really need to learn the concept of personal space sometimes," Liza murmured. Harry glared at her.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened, or not?" he growled.

"Yes, yes, sorry," Liza said hastily.

"Anyways," Harry continued, "the memory I dropped into was one of Snape when he was a student at Hogwarts. He was sitting his Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. I saw my dad and Sirius and Lupin, too. When their exam was over, they all went outside for some fresh air." Liza listened carefully, very intrigued since Harry had mentioned their father. "And my dad and Sirius…they started to mess with Snape. They jinxed him a couple of times—"

"What?" Liza gasped, unable to help herself.

"It wasn't anything too harmful," Harry was quick to defend. "And then—and then my mother arrived. She defended Snape, telling my dad to leave him alone. She called my dad a bully and a—a toerag. She seemed to really dislike him. Dad tried asking her out, promising he'd leave Snape alone if she said yes, but she told him there was no chance. Snape then sent a curse at Dad, and Dad immediately levitated him in the air. My mother kept telling Dad to let Snape down, and eventually he did."

"If they disliked each other so much, how did they end up together?" Liza interrupted. Harry gave her a look, and she quickly added, "Sorry, go on."

"So then Snape called my mother a Mudblood," Harry continued, a look of anger crossing his face for a moment, "and my dad told him to apologize. My mother just got angrier at both of them and left, and my dad went back to—to bullying Snape. That's when Snape—present-day Snape, that is—found me watching the memory."

"Wow," Liza breathed. "Was he upset?"

"He was the angriest I've ever seen him," Harry answered. "He told me that he was done giving me Occlumency lessons and to get out of his office. He threw a glass jar at me as I left."

"You should report him for that!" Liza exclaimed. "I know that you looked into his Pensieve without his permission, but he shouldn't be throwing things at a student!"

"No," Harry insisted. "And you can't tell anyone I told you any of this, since I told Snape I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I'm not going to tell anyone," Liza said. "So…are you all right?"

"Ye—no," Harry changed his answered mid-word. Liza felt surprised that Harry was telling her the truth. "I just—I always pictured my father as a good person. But after what I saw in the Pensieve, I'm not so sure."

"Look, just because your father wasn't a good person when he was fifteen years old doesn't mean that he didn't get better when he grew up," Liza said gently. "He was part of the Order, after all."

"I guess you're right," Harry sighed, although he looked unconvinced.

Suddenly, Madam Pince, the librarian, appeared at their table.

"If you are not here to study, then you need to leave," she snapped, glaring at them. Liza and Harry hastily stood up from the table. Liza picked up her book and slung her bag quickly over her shoulder. Then she and Harry made their way up to Gryffindor Tower.

"You promise you won't say anything to Hermione or Ron?" Harry asked once more when they reached the portrait hole.

"I promise," Liza replied. Harry gave the password, and the two fifth-years climbed into the common room.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning was the first day of the Easter holidays. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza were gathered in the common room. Hermione took it upon herself to make all four of them study schedules, since their O.W.L. exams were taking place in six weeks.

"But why haven't you got Occlumency lessons anymore?" Hermione asked. Harry had just finished telling her and Ron that he was done meeting with Snape.

"I've _told_ you," Harry replied. "Snape reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics…" Liza had to resist raising her eyebrows at him.

"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" Hermione pressed.

"Pretty much," Harry answered.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" Hermione exclaimed. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask—"

"No," Harry growled.

"Just drop it, Hermione, okay?" Liza intervened gently. There was a few minutes of silence as Hermione continued working on their study schedules.

"I can't believe the O.W.L.s are in six weeks," Ron moaned.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"I dunno…" Ron replied, "there's been a lot going on…"

"Well, there you are," Hermione said, handing over his new study schedule, "if you follow that you should do fine." Ron examined the sheet of paper.

"You've given me an evening off every week!" he said happily.

"That's for Quidditch practice," Hermione explained. The smile dropped immediately from Ron's face.

"What's the point?" he muttered gloomily. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic…"

"Cheer up, Ron," Liza said. She looked over to Harry, who was staring in thought at the wall opposite him. Crookshanks was rubbing his head against Harry's hand, trying to get his ears scratched.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"What?" he said. "Nothing…" He leaned forward and pulled one of his textbooks into his lap. Crookshanks, looking offended, stalked off.

"I saw Cho earlier," Hermione mentioned lightly, "and she looked really miserable too… Have you two had a row again?"

"Wha—oh yeah, we have," Harry answered.

"What about?" Hermione asked.

"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta," Harry said.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" Ron growled, tossing his study schedule aside. "If it hadn't been for her—"

"Yeah, yeah, we wouldn't have been found out," Liza interrupted him.

"Yeah," Harry echoed, staring unfocused out the window.

**~LJ:NK~**

At the end of the Easter holidays, a new sign appeared on the house notice boards.

_Career Advice_

_All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below._

"As if we didn't have enough on our plates as it was," Liza complained, sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the last day of holidays. They were looking through a pile of career pamphlets that had been left in the common room.

"When do you go, again?" Hermione asked.

"Wednesday, right before lunch," Liza replied. "Do you guys have any idea of what you want to do?"

"Well, I don't fancy Healing," Ron commented, looking at a pamphlet for St. Mungo's hospital. "It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. I mean…blimey… Don't want much, do they?"

"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" Hermione asked. Liza scooped up a pink and orange pamphlet that said "So You Think You'd Like To Work In Muggle Relations?" on the front of it. She scanned through it.

"You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles…" she said. "All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies… '_Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!_'"

"Well that shouldn't be too hard for you," Ron said.

"No, but I also don't want to liaise with Muggles," Liza pointed out. "I want to educate witches and wizards about the Muggle world and how to better blend into it. You know what, Muggle Studies should probably be a required course…"

"The purebloods who run the Ministry would not be happy about that," Hermione said, smirking.

"Hey, listen to this," Harry piped up, reading through a banking leaflet. "'_Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad_…' They want Arithmancy, though… You guys could do that, Hermione, Liza..."

"I don't much fancy banking," Hermione said. Liza nodded in agreement.

"Hey," a whisper came from nearby. The four fifth-years looked up to see that Fred and George had joined them.

"Ginny's had a word with us about you," Fred said quietly. "She says you need to talk to Sirius?"

"What?" Hermione and Liza both asked.

"Yeah…" Harry said nonchalantly, "yeah, I thought I'd like—"

"Don't be so ridiculous," Hermione said, fixing Harry with a hard stare. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Well, we think we can find a way around that," George said, a mischievous smile on his face. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?"

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" Fred went on. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course, we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do." He nodded to Hermione, and then he continued, "But it's business as usual from tomorrow. And if we're going to be causing a bit of an uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"Yes, but _still_," Hermione pressed, "even if you _do_ cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office," Harry said. Liza felt her eyes widening.

"Are—you—insane?" Hermione asked hoarsely. Liza exchanged an anxious look with Ron.

"I don't think so," Harry answered.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?" Hermione questioned.

"Sirius's knife," Harry replied.

"Sirius's what now?" Liza asked.

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," Harry explained. "So even if she's bewitched the door so _Alohomora_ won't work, which I bet she has—"

"What do you think about this?" Hermione asked, turning to Ron and Liza.

"I dunno," Ron said, looking a bit alarmed that she was asking for his input. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," Fred said cheerfully, patting Ron on the back.

"Liza?" Hermione asked, looking desperately at her friend. Liza looked at Harry instead.

"You have to be careful," she said. "If Umbridge catches you she might also catch Sirius and have him chucked back in Azkaban, not to mention she'd know where the Order has been meeting."

"I promise I'll be careful," Harry said, nodding.

"Right, then," Fred said as Hermione flopped back in her chair, looking defeated. "We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors—Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office—I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" He glanced at George.

"Easy," George agreed.

"What sort of diversion is it?" Ron asked.

"You'll see, little bro," Fred replied, winking. "At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow."

"Oh, we'll be there," Liza said, smirking.

**~LJ:NK~**

The next day, Hermione tried many times to talk Harry out of sneaking into Umbridge's office. Ron and Liza were constantly telling her to leave Harry alone, but she wouldn't listen. In potions class, Liza made John promise to meet her after classes so that they could see what Fred and George were planning on doing next.

Finally Defense Against the Dark Arts, Liza's last class of the day, came to a close. Harry hurried out of the classroom, followed by a pleading Hermione, but Liza and Ron hurried off to see what Fred and George were about to do. They ran up a flight of stairs before they heard a loud noises coming from somewhere above them.

"Liza!" John jogged up to her and Ron. "Did you hear that?"

"That's got to be Fred and George," Liza replied. They sprinted along the corridor and into the east wing of the school. As they were about to go up to the fifth floor, they saw a river of dark, smelly liquid seeping down the stairs.

"What is that?" Ron asked, taking a step back. There was a rumbling noise drawing nearer, as well.

"I think we should probably get out of here," Liza said. There were shrieks next, and soon a group of students were slipping and sliding down the stairs, covered in the dark liquid.

"Let's go!" John exclaimed, grabbing Liza's hand and pulling her along the corridor, Ron following close behind. The three of them ran back the way they had came. They saw Umbridge hurry past them, holding her wand above her head.

Liza, John, and Ron stopped, along with some of the other students, watching as Umbridge shrieked when she found the swamp. Member of the Inquisitorial Squad joined her, and they all went up to see if they could find the source.

"Reckon they're going to find Fred and George?" Ron asked anxiously. Liza and John shrugged, looking around at the students who were stampeding away from the swamp.

"Come on," Liza said. "There's no use waiting around here. Let's head down to the Great Hall." John and Ron nodded their agreement, and they made their way slowly to dinner.

They were descending the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall when a swarm of students ran past them, heading down as well. Then Fred and George themselves streaked by, followed closely by the Inquisitorial Squad. The rest of the students were already gathering around the edge of the Entrance Hall, and Fred and George came to a stop in the middle of the stone floor. Liza, John, and Ron stepped off to the side of the Hall, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Nowhere left to run!" a voice shouted. Umbridge was coming down the stairs, panting heavily. When she caught her breath, she smiled triumphantly.

"So!" she exclaimed. "So…you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred replied, looking almost bored. Meanwhile, Filch had caught up to Umbridge, brandishing a piece of paper.

"I've got the form, Headmistress," he announced. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting… Oh, let me do it now…"

"Whips?" Liza breathed anxiously.

"Very good, Argus," Umbridge said. "You two," she continued, looking at Fred and George again, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" Fred interrupted. "I don't think we are." He glanced at George and said, "George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George added.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George agreed. The two of them raised their wands and shouted, "_Accio Brooms_!"

There was a loud crash, and many of the students put their arms over their heads. Fred's and George's broomsticks were flying through the air towards them. There was a chain hanging from one of the brooms. They came to a sudden stop in front of the twins.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred said matter-of-factly to Umbridge as he mounted his broom.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," George said, following suit.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley," Fred announced to the student body. "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," George said, gesturing to Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge cried. The Inquisitorial Squad moved in, but Fred and George flew up into the air. They paused, looking over at Peeves.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves," Fred said in a clear, ringing voice. Peeves pulled his hat off of his head and gave Fred and George a crisp salute, surprising everyone.

Then Fred and George spun around in the air as the students below began to applaud and zoomed out of the Entrance Hall, never once looking back.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: 8 planned chapters left to go!**_


	25. Chapter 25 Shift in Power

_**A/N: This chapter ended up a lot longer than I thought it was going to be! Whew!**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 25 – Shift in Power**

The Weasley twins' escape was all the school could talk about for the next few days. And as with any story that went around the school, it was soon exaggerated, even by those who had witnessed it. Fred and George were quickly becoming legends, and many students expressed their wish to copy the boys. Liza overheard people saying things like, "Honestly, some days I just feel like jumping on my broom and leaving this place," or, "One more lesson like that and I might just do a Weasley…"

The fifth floor corridor in the east wing was still a swamp. Umbridge and Filch tried many different ways to get rid of it, but nothing they did was working. In the end, Filch had to rope off the area and assist the students across the swamp himself, which he was not happy about.

Many of the students had been inspired to follow in Fred's and George's footsteps. One of the first pranks to be pulled on Umbridge was setting a niffler loose in her office. The creature tore the office up looking for shiny objects, and it even attacked Umbridge when she entered the room. Dungbombs and Stinkpellets were being let off in the hallways so often that almost every student in the school knew how to cast a Bubble-Head Charm on themselves.

Since there were so many troublemakers, Filch had a hard time figuring out who to punish. He walked the corridors with his whip in hand, but he hardly had the chance to use it. The Inquisitorial Squad attempted to help him, but the other students were ganging up on them, as well. Even the Squad's fellow Slytherins were partaking in the mischief, John had reported to Liza.

It was clear that Fred and George had sold a lot more Skiving Snackboxes than Liza was previously aware of. Full classes were skipping out of Defense Against the Dark Arts thanks to sudden fainting, vomiting, or bleeding. Umbridge was furious; she put four whole classes in detention to find out how they were all becoming sick, but everyone insisted that they had come down with "Umbridge-itis". Since nobody would give up their secret, Umbridge had no choice but to let the students leave her class.

All of this paled in comparison to the chaos that Peeves was creating. It was the first time Liza had ever known the poltergeist to take orders from a student. He was swooping around the school, knocking over tables, statues, and vases. He would jump out of blackboards to scare the students and professors alike. He also twice stuffed Mrs. Norris into a suit of armor, causing Filch to hate him even more. Peeves would also smash lanterns, blow out candles, and juggle torches over the heads of the students. He flooded the second floor by pulling all the bathroom taps out of the walls and dropped a bag of tarantulas in the Great Hall. Whenever he decided to take a break from causing mayhem, he would float along behind Umbridge and blow loud raspberries when she attempted to speak.

Just like when the Weasley twins had set off the fireworks, the rest of the staff, apart from Filch, didn't seem bothered to try and help bring order back to the castle. Harry and Liza observed Professor McGonagall passing Peeves, who was trying to loosen a chandelier from the ceiling, and could have sworn they heard her mutter, "It unscrews the other way."

**~LJ:NK~**

Two days after the Weasley twins' escape, Liza went to Professor McGonagall's office to have her career counseling session.

"Good morning, Miss Jones," the professor greeted her when Liza entered the office. "Take a seat." Liza obliged, sitting in the empty chair on one side of the desk. "Our headmistress was supposed to join us for this meeting, but I'm afraid that she's busy with some other duties. I hope you don't mind?"

"Er, no, I don't, Professor," Liza answered.

"Well then, this meeting is to talk over the ideas you've had for your career, and to help you decided which classes you will continue taking in the sixth and seventh years," Professor McGonagall continued. "Have you thought about what you might like to do when you finish school?"

"I haven't thought of a specific career, no," Liza admitted. "I would love to do something to help with the relationship between witches and wizards and the Muggle world."

"So maybe a career in Muggle relations?" Professor McGonagall asked. She pulled out the familiar pink and orange pamphlet that Liza had read back in the common room.

"Not exactly," Liza replied. "I just feel like a lot of witches and wizards don't know how to act when they're in the Muggle world. In fact, many of them seem like they're going to break the Statute of Secrecy at any moment."

There was a knock on the office door, and Professor McGonagall frowned as she looked past Liza.

"Come in," she called. The door opened, and Umbridge stepped inside, looking ruffled as she usually did these days.

"I apologize for my lateness," she said, taking a seat in the corner of the room. "Do go on." Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and looked back at Liza.

"You were saying, Miss Jones?" she prompted.

"There needs to be educational reform, for starters," Liza continued, noticing Umbridge looking up sharply at the word 'reform'. "Muggle Studies should possibly be made into a mandatory class—"

"Excuse me, but I don't think you are qualified to decide which classes should be mandatory or not," Umbridge interrupted rudely.

"The Wizarding world is terribly uneducated when it comes to Muggles and the Muggle world," Liza insisted. "The best way to ensure that they get the education they need is to start with the children here at Hogwarts. Although witches and wizards of all ages need to learn how to better blend into Muggle society if we want to keep our world a secret."

"And what makes you think that adult witches and wizards cannot blend in?" Umbridge asked snootily.

"Well, when I went to the World Cup two summers ago, I saw a man wearing a woman's nightdress when he was supposed to be wearing Muggle attire," Liza shot back, folding her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me, but if you've finished interrogating Miss Jones, I think we should go over which classes she should take in her sixth and seventh year," Professor McGonagall said loudly. Liza turned back to her, ignoring Umbridge, who had begun to scribble something onto her clipboard.

"I assume I should continue with Muggle Studies if I want to do anything that involves Muggles in the future," Liza guessed.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. "If you don't have anything else in mind for a career at this moment, you are free to take whichever classes you choose, as long as you get a sufficient grade to continue. Do you know which classes you'd be interested in continuing?"

"Probably Charms, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and possibly Herbology and Arithmancy," Liza replied.

"Well, for Transfiguration you will need at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' in your O.W.L. to continue on to my N.E.W.T. class," Professor McGonagall said. "You are doing very well in my class, of course, so you shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into the N.E.W.T. classes." Liza swore she saw a faint smile grace the professor's lips for a moment. Professor McGonagall sorted through some of the papers on the desk in front of her. "You also seem to be doing splendidly in Charms class, Professor Flitwick would be thrilled to have you back. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Arithmancy all seem up to scratch, as well. You have no interest in continuing with Potions?"

"Potions really isn't my strong suit," Liza said. "I'm managing to score mostly 'Acceptables' from Professor Snape, with an 'Exceeds Expectations' every once in a while."

"Yes, and I'm afraid Professor Snape only admits students into his N.E.W.T. classes who achieve an 'Outstanding' in their O.W.L.s," Professor McGonagall said, nodding. "Well, this list seems very well-rounded, so even if you change your mind about your career, you should have no problem picking a different path." She paused for a moment before continuing, "I believe that is all there is to discuss. Keep up the good work, and your O.W.L.s should go well."

"Thank you, Professor," Liza said. She stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the room without looking over at Umbridge.

Later that night, Liza found herself alone with Harry in the common room. Hermione had opted to study in the library that night, and Ron was away at Quidditch practice.

"Harry," Liza said suddenly, putting her homework down, "how did your talk with Sirius go?" The excitement of Fred and George leaving had pushed Harry's meeting with Sirius to the back of Liza's mind.

"It was…fine," Harry replied lamely. Liza frowned at him.

"You know I'm just going to keep badgering you about this," she reminded him. Harry sighed.

"Okay, but not a word to Hermione and Ron yet, okay?" he said.

"Why not?" Liza interrupted curiously.

"I don't want them knowing that I'm worried about the person my dad was," Harry admitted. Liza gazed sympathetically at him. "Anyways, I got into Umbridge's office just fine and managed to use her fireplace to reach Sirius. But when I was in Grimmauld Place's fire, Lupin was the first person I saw. He said Sirius was looking for Kreacher because Kreacher had been hiding again."

"That elf has been acting strange recently," Liza muttered. "Go on."

"Well, Sirius and Lupin were both there, and I immediately told them what I had seen in Snape's Pensieve," Harry continued. "They, of course, reminded me that they were just fifteen in that memory, and that I shouldn't judge my father based on those few minutes I saw of him."

"I would expect them to say something like that," Liza said.

"They said that my dad and Snape had always hated each other," Harry went on. "They figured that Snape was just jealous of my dad's popularity. Sirius said that he and my dad were pretty good at everything they did, and that they could get a bit arrogant at times. They insisted that they were just a bunch of idiots."

"What about your mother?" Liza asked. "Did they mention why she seemed to hate him so much?"

"Yeah, Lupin said they started dating in the seventh year once James had, er, 'deflated his head a bit,'" Harry replied. Liza snorted, and Harry said, "Sirius's words, not mine."

"See? So your dad did get better eventually," Liza said encouragingly. She felt a bit relieved, as well; she had been anxious about what Sirius would have to say about what Harry had seen. "Did they say anything else?'

"I told them that Snape won't be teaching me Occlumency anymore," Harry said, "and Sirius nearly flew of the handle. He was talking about coming up to Hogwarts to talk to Snape himself. Lupin said I had to go back to Snape at once and ask for Occlumency lessons again. He said there's nothing more important than me learning Occlumency." Harry made a face of disgust.

"You know, Harry, you should probably try and listen to them," Liza said quietly, but Harry shook his head.

"You didn't see Snape's face when he found me in the Pensieve," Harry said. "There is no way I'm going to be able to face him after that."

"But—"

"I can't do it, Liza," Harry said firmly. "I'm sorry, but I just can't do it."

**~LJ:NK~**

The Gryffindors were sitting in Charms class a few weeks later when Hermione looked out the window and saw Mr. and Mrs. Montague storming up to the castle. Montague, the Slytherin who had been stuck in the toilet, still hadn't recovered from whatever had happened to him and was still in the hospital wing.

"Should we say something?" Hermione asked anxiously. "About what happened to him? In case it helps Madam Pomfrey cure him?"

"'Course not, he'll recover," Ron said absently.

"Anyway, more trouble for Umbridge, isn't it?" Harry added. Liza shrugged. She tapped her teacup with her wand, and the cup sprouted four legs and stood up. Harry and Ron also tapped their cups, with much less success. The legs on Ron's cup were not strong enough to hold itself up, and it dropped down onto the table, cracking in half.

"_Reparo_!" Hermione said hastily, fixing Ron's cup. "That's all very well, but what if Montague's permanently injured?"

"Who cares?" Ron mumbled, watching his cup try to walk on its weak legs. "Montague shouldn't have tried to take all those points from Gryffindor, should he? If you want to worry about anyone, Hermione, worry about me!"

"You?" Liza asked, raising her eyebrows at him. "Why should we be worried about you?"

"When Mum's next letter finally gets through Umbridge's screening process," Ron replied, "I'm going to be in deep trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if she's sent a Howler again."

"But—" Hermione started.

"It'll be my fault Fred and George left, you wait," Ron interrupted. "She'll say I should've stopped them leaving, I should've grabbed the ends of their brooms and hung on or something… Yeah, it'll be all my fault."

"Well, if she _does_ say that, it'll be very unfair, you couldn't have done anything!" Hermione said. "But I'm sure she won't, I mean, if it's really true they've got premises is Diagon Alley now, they must have been planning this for ages…"

"They have been," Liza pointed out. "They've been talking for months about how they can't wait to start their shop up."

"Yeah, but that's another thing, how did they get the premises?" Ron asked. He smacked his teacup with his wand, and the cup collapsed again. "It's a bit dodgy, isn't it? They'll need loads of Galleons to afford the rent on a place in Diagon Alley, she'll want to know what they've been up to, to get their hands on that sort of gold…"

"Well, yes, that occurred to me, too," Hermione said.

"They've been selling a lot of merchandise," Liza said, shrugging and picking up her teacup before it could escape from the table.

"Yes, but they probably needed more gold than that to get a building," Hermione said. "I've been wondering whether Mundungus has persuaded them to sell stolen goods or something awful…"

"He hasn't," Harry insisted.

"How do you know?" Hermione, Ron, and Liza all said.

"Because," Harry said before stopping suddenly. He sighed and continued, "Because they got the gold from me. I gave them my Triwizard winnings last June." Liza felt her mouth pop open.

"Oh, Harry, you _didn't_!" Hermione said as her teacup jumped off the edge of the table and smashed on the floor.

"Yes, I did," Harry said. "And I don't regret it either—I didn't need the gold, and they'll be great at a joke shop…"

"Harry, that was very nice of you," Liza said, smiling at her brother. "I agree, Fred and George are a solid investment. You guys saw how much stuff they were selling here at school."

"This is excellent!" Ron exclaimed. "It's all your fault, Harry—Mum can't blame me at all! Can I tell her?"

"Yeah, I suppose you'd better," Harry said. "'Specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something…"

"It's not all Harry's fault," Liza said, frowning. "They would have gotten the gold at some point. Fred and George left because they wanted to."

They didn't talk about Fred and George for the rest of the classes, but at the end of the lesson, Hermione seemed as though she was going to burst. After they went out into the courtyard for break, Hermione turned to Harry and opened her mouth.

"It's no good nagging me, it's done," Harry said before she could speak. "Fred and George have got the gold—spent a good bit of it too, by the sounds of it—and I can't get it back from them and I don't want to. So save your breath, Hermione."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Fred and George!" she said, sounding insulted. Ron let out a noise of disbelief, and she glared at him. "No, I wasn't! As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Harry when he's going to go back to Snape and ask for Occlumency lessons again!"

About a week after Harry had told Liza the full story of what had happened, Hermione and Ron questioned him about his meeting with Sirius, as well. Harry told them about how Sirius and Lupin had reacted when they found out Snape wasn't giving Harry Occlumency lessons anymore. Harry had left out the part about his father, however, when he talked to Hermione and Ron.

"You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams," Hermione added, "because Ron told me last night you were muttering in your sleep again…" Harry glared at Ron, who looked sheepishly away.

"You were only muttering a bit," he said. "Something about 'just a bit farther.'"

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch," Harry sneered. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the Quaffle." Ron went bright red, but Liza shook her head.

"Bull," she snorted.

"You are _trying_ to block your mind, aren't you?" Hermione asked. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am," Harry said, but he looked away from his friends as he said it. Liza studied him suspiciously for a moment.

"You know," Ron spoke up, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in with a chance of winning the Cup."

"Yeah, I s'pose so," Harry said. Hermione and Liza exchanged a glance; it was so like the two boys to change the subject to Quidditch.

"I mean, we've won one, lost one—if Slytherin loses to Hufflepuff next Saturday…" Ron continued thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's right," Harry said, looking distracted. Liza followed his gaze to see Cho Chang walking across the courtyard, avoiding Harry's eye.

"Come on," Liza said, "let's get to class."

**~LJ:NK~**

Montague did not recover in time for the Slytherin-Hufflepuff match, and Hufflepuff managed to win, although it was very narrow. The final game of the year was Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and it was scheduled for the last weekend in May. Most of the Gryffindor students weren't looking forward to it, however, as they didn't want to get their hopes up.

The morning of the match arrived, and Ron seemed surprisingly chipper.

"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" he pointed out at breakfast. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"

When they had finished eating, Harry, Hermione, and Liza were joined by John in the Entrance Hall, and the four of them headed down to the pitch.

"You know," Hermione spoke up, "I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence…" They walked for a minute longer before John let out a low whistle.

"Luna's definitely outdone herself today," he said, pointing to the girl as she walked passed them. On her head, Luna was wearing a large eagle. Liza couldn't tell if it was a real bird or not.

"Oh gosh, I forgot!" Hermione said. "Cho will be playing, won't she?" Harry grunted, and Liza exchanged a look with John.

The four entered the stands and found an open space near the top. The sun was shining, and the sky was clear; a perfect day for Quidditch. Lee Jordan was commentating as usual, although he had lost a bit of his luster since Fred and George had left. He announced the teams as they entered the stadium, and soon the fourteen players were flying into the air.

"And they're off!" Lee announced. "And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well… He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot—and—and—" Lee swore before finishing, "And he's scored."

The Slytherins across the pitch began, once again, to sing their horrid song.

_Weasley cannot save a thing  
>He cannot block a single ring…<em>

"Harry," a voice suddenly whispered. "Hermione… Liza…" The three of them looked around, bewildered.

"Hagrid?" Liza asked. Hagrid was crouched down behind them, as though he was trying to not be seen.

"Listen," he said, "can yeh come with me? Now? While ev'ryone's watchin' the match?"

"Er…can't it wait, Hagrid?" Harry asked. "'Till the match is over?"

"No," Hagrid replied. "No, Harry, it's gotta be now…while ev'ryone's lookin' the other way… Please?" Harry exchanged a look with Liza and Hermione. Hagrid looked awful, with both of his eyes blackened and blood dripping slowly from his nose.

"'Course," Harry said, looking back at the gamekeeper, "'course we'll come…" Liza turned to John.

"I'm sorry to just run out on you like this, but do you mind if I go?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," John said reassuringly. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'll let you know what happens in the match if you don't get back in time."

"Thank you," Liza said, smiling. Then she hurried after Harry and Hermione.

"I 'ppreciate this, you three, I really do," Hagrid said as they exited the stands. "I jus' hope she doesn' notice us goin'…"

"You mean Umbridge?" Harry asked. "She won't, she's got her whole Inquisitorial Squad sitting with her, didn't you see? She must be expecting trouble at the match."

"Yeah, well, a bit o' trouble wouldn' hurt," Hagrid said. He checked the lawn outside the stadium. "Give us more time…"

"What is it, Hagrid?" Hermione asked anxiously. She, Harry, and Liza followed the half-giant towards the forest.

"Yeh—yeh'll see in a mo'," Hagrid replied. There was a loud roar coming from the Quidditch pitch. "Hey—did someone jus' score?"

"That'll be Ravenclaw," Harry said glumly.

"Good…good…" Hagrid murmured. "Tha's good…" They walked up to Hagrid's cabin, and Harry, Hermione, and Liza made to go into the house. They paused as they watched Hagrid stomp over to the edge of the forest and pick up his crossbow, which had been leaning against a tree.

"We're goin' in here," he explained, gesturing into the forest.

"Into the forest?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Hagrid replied. "C'mon now, quick, before we're spotted!" Harry, Hermione, and Liza exchanged bewildered looks before hurrying after Hagrid.

"Hagrid, why are you armed?" Liza asked curiously.

"Jus' a precaution," Hagrid replied vaguely.

"You didn't bring your crossbow the day you showed us the thestrals," Hermione pointed out.

"Nah, well, we weren' goin' in so far then," Hagrid said. "An' anyway, tha' was before Firenze left the forest, wasn't it?"

"Why does Firenze leaving make a difference?" Hermione asked.

"'Cause the other centaurs are good an' riled at me, tha's why," Hagrid explained. "They used ter be—well, yeh couldn' call 'em friendly—but we got on all righ'. Kept 'emselves to 'emselves, bu' always turned up if I wanted a word. Not anymore…" He heaved a sigh.

"Firenze said they're angry because he went to work for Dumbledore," Harry said.

"Yeah," Hagrid confirmed. "Well, angry doesn' cover it. Ruddy livid. If I hadn' stepped in, I reckon they'd've kicked Firenze ter death—"

"They attacked him?" Liza asked incredulously.

"Yep," Hagrid replied. "He had half the herd onto him—"

"And you stopped it?" Harry asked. "By yourself?"

"'Course I did, couldn't stand by an' watch 'em kill him, could I?" Hagrid said. "Lucky I was passin', really…an' I'd've thought Firenze mighta remembered tha' before he started sendin' me stupid warnin's!" Liza's eyes widened in surprise at Hagrid's sudden ferocity.

"Anyway," Hagrid continued after taking a few breaths, "since then the other centaurs've bin livid with me an' the trouble is, they've got a lot of influence in the forest… Cleverest creatures in here…"

"Is that why we're here, Hagrid?" Hermione asked. "The centaurs?"

"Ah no," Hagrid said, "no, it's not them… Well, o' course, they could complicate the problem, yeah… But yeh'll see what I mean in a bit…"

They continued through the trees, which grew closer together the further they walked. It became increasingly difficult for Liza, Harry, and Hermione to keep up with Hagrid. Then suddenly, Hagrid stepped off the path. He seemed to know where he was going, but the three Gryffindors were beginning to feel uneasy.

"Hagrid?" Harry spoke up. "Where are we going?"

"Bit further," Hagrid replied. "C'mon, Harry… We need ter keep together now…"

Harry, Liza, and Hermione struggled through the undergrowth as they went on through the forest. It was becoming darker, as well.

"Hagrid, would it be all right if we lit our wands?" Hermione finally asked.

"Er…all righ'," Hagrid said. "In fact…" He suddenly stopped and turned around to face the three students. Hermione walked right into him and fell over backwards. Harry managed to catch her before she landed on the ground.

"Maybe we bes' jus' stop fer a momen', so I can…fill yeh in," Hagrid said. "Before we ge' there, like."

"Good!" Liza said. She, Hermione, and Harry murmured, "_Lumos_," and their wands all lit up.

"Righ'," Hagrid began. "Well…see…the thing is…" He paused to take a breath. "Well, there's a good chance I'm goin' ter be getting' the sack any day now." Liza, Hermione, and Harry exchanged bewildered looks.

"But you've lasted this long," Hermione pointed out. "What makes you think—"

"Umbridge reckons it was me that put tha' niffler in her office," Hagrid said bitterly.

"And was it?" Harry asked.

"No, it ruddy well wasn'!" Hagrid said indignantly. "On'y anythin' ter do with magical creatures an' she thinks it's got somethin' ter do with me. Yeh know she's bin lookin' fer a chance ter get rid of me ever since I got back. I don' wan' ter go, o' course, but if it wasn' fer…well…the special circumstances I'm abou' ter explain to yeh, I'd leave righ' now, before she's go' the chance ter do it in front o' the whole school, like she did with Trelawney."

Harry, Hermione, and Liza began to protest, but Hagrid waved them off and went on, "It's not the end o' the world, I'll be able ter help Dumbledore once I'm outta here, I can be useful ter the Order. An' you lot'll have Grubbly-Plank, yeh'll—yeh'll get through yer exams fine…" His voice broke, and Hermione took a step towards him.

"Don' worry abou' me," Hagrid said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. "Look, I wouldn' be tellin' yer this at all if I didn' have ter. See, if I go…well, I can' leave withou'…withou' tellin' someone…because I"ll—I'll need you three ter help me. An' Ron, if he's willin'."

"Of course we'll help you," Harry said. "What do you want us to do?" Hagrid patted Harry on the arm, knocking the boy into a tree.

"I knew yeh'd say yes," Hagrid said, "but I won'…never…forget… Well…c'mon…jus' a little bit further through here… Watch yerselves, now, there's nettles…"

They walked for another fifteen minutes before Hagrid stopped them once again.

"Really easy," he whispered. "Very quiet, now…" They tiptoed forward towards a large mound of what appeared to be earth. There were trees all around them that had been uprooted. A makeshift fence of tree trunks had been made around the mound.

"Sleepin'," Hagrid murmured.

"Sleeping?" Liza asked, confused. Then, as she listened, she could hear the sound of something breathing. She glanced at Hermione, who looked absolutely terrified.

"Hagrid, who is he?" she asked hoarsely. Liza frowned. "Hagrid, you told us," Hermione went on in a shaky voice, "you told us none of them wanted to come!" The puzzle pieces rapidly clicked together in Liza's head, and she stared at the mound with new understanding.

"That's a giant," she breathed. "That's a _giant_, Hagrid!"

"I had ter bring him," Hagrid insisted. "He didn' wan' ter come, but I had ter bring him with me!"

"But why?" Hermione asked. "Why—what—oh, _Hagrid_!"

"I knew if I jus' got him back," Hagrid explained, "an'—an' taught him a few manners—I'd be able ter take him outside an' show ev'ryone he's harmless!"

"Harmless!" Liza laughed without humor. "He's been hurting you all this time, hasn't he? That's why you've had all those injuries!"

"He don' know his own strength!" Hagrid said. "An' he's getting' better, he's not fightin' so much anymore—p

"So this is why it took you two months to get home!" Hermione moaned. "Oh Hagrid, why did you bring him back if he didn't want to come, wouldn't he have been happier with his own people?"

"They were all bullyin' him, Hermione, 'cause he's so small!" Hagrid said.

"Small?" Hermione repeated. "_Small_?"

"Hermione, I could' leave him," Hagrid said. "See—he's my brother!"

"What?" Liza gasped.

"Hagrid, when you say 'brother'," Harry began, "do you mean—?"

"Well—half-brother," Hagrid said. "Turns out me mother took up with another giant when she left me dad, an' she went an' had Grawp here—"

"Grawp?" Harry echoed.

"Yeah…well, tha's what it sounds like when he says his name," Hagrid said. "He don' speak a lot of English… I've bin tryin' ter teach him… Anyway, she don' seem ter have liked him much more'n she liked me… See, with giantesses, what counts is producin' good big kids, and he's always been a bit on the runty side fer a giant—on'y sixteen foot—"

"Oh yes, tiny!" Hermione said. "Absolutely miniscule!"

"He was bein' kicked around by all o' them," Hagrid said. "I jus' couldn't leave him—"

"Did Madam Maxime want to bring him back?" Harry asked.

"She—well, she could se it was right importan' ter me," Hagrid replied. "Bu'—bu' she got a bit tired of him after a while, I must admit…so we split up on the journey home… She promised not ter tell anyone though…"

"How did you get him back without anyone noticing?" Liza asked, staring at the sleeping giant.

"Well, tha's why it took so long, see," Hagrid said. "Could on'y travel by nigh' an' through wild country an' stuff. 'Course, he covers the ground pretty well when he wants ter, but he kep' wantin' ter go back…"

"Oh Hagrid, why on earth didn't you let him!" Hermione sighed. She sank down onto a nearby tree trunk and rubbed her face with her hands. "What do you think you're going to do with a violent giant who doesn't even want to be here!"

"Well, now—'violet'—that's a bit harsh," Hagrid said. "I'll admit he mighta taken a couple o' swings at me when he's bin in a bad mood, but he's getting' better, loads better, settlin' down well…"

"What are those ropes for, then?" Harry asked bluntly. Liza noticed that there were a few thick ropes tied to a few of the remaining trees.

"You have to keep him tied up?" Hermione asked.

"Well…yeah…" Hagrid said sheepishly. "See—it's like I say—he doesn' really know his strength—"

"So what is it you want Hermione and Harry and Ron and me to do?" Liza asked.

"Look after him," Hagrid answered. "After I'm gone."

"What—what does that involve, exactly?" Hermione questioned warily.

"No food or anythin'!" Hagrid said. "He can get his own food, no problem. Birds an' deer an' stuff… No, it's company he needs. If I jus' knew someone was carryin' on tryin' ter help him a bit…teachin' him, yeh know…"

"You want us to teach him," Harry repeated in a flat voice.

"Yeah—even if yeh jus' talk ter him a bit," Hagrid said. "'Cause I reckon, if he can talk ter people, he'll understand more that we all like him really, an' want him ter stay…" Harry looked between Hermione and Liza.

"Kind of makes you wish we had Norbert back, doesn't it?" he said. Hermione and Liza both let out a small laugh at that.

"Yeh'll do it, then?" Hagrid asked eagerly.

"We'll…" Harry said hesitantly. "We'll try, Hagrid…"

"I know I could count on yeh, Harry," Hagrid said. "An' I don' wan' yeh ter put yerself out too much, like… I know yeh've got exams… If yeh could jus' nip down here in yer Invisibility Cloak maybe once a wekk an' have a little chat with him… I'll wake him up, then—introduce you—"

"Wha—no!" Hermione said, alarmed and standing up. "Hagrid, no, don't wake him, really, we don't need—" It was no use, however, as Hagrid was already making his way towards Grawp. He picked up a large stick and poked the giant hard in the back.

The giant roared loudly and began to push himself to his feet. Harry, Hermione, and Liza stepped closer together.

"All righ', Grawpy?" Hagrid called up to Grawp. "Had a nice sleep, eh?" Harry pushed both Hermione and Liza slightly behind him as they retreated from Grawp. Grawp was looking around, blinking sleepily, and then very quickly pushed himself to his feet.

"Oh my…" Hermione gasped. Grawp reached into a nearby tree and pulled a bird's nest from it. He turned it upside down expectantly, but there were no birds to be found. A few eggs fell from it, cracking onto the forest floor. Hagrid shielded his head with his arms.

"Anyway, Grawpy," Hagrid shouted, "I've brought some friends ter meet yeh. Remember, I told yeh I might? Remember, when I said I might have ter go on a little trip an' leave them ter look after yeh fer a bit? Remember that, Grawpy?" Grawp merely let out another roar and pulled on a pine tree.

"Now, Grawpy, don' do that!" Hagrid cried. "Tha's how you ended up pullin' up the others—" The tree's roots cracked ominously. "I got company fer yeh!" Hagrid went on. "Company, see! Look down, yeh big buffoon, I brought yeh some friends!"

"Oh Hagrid, don't," Hermione pleaded, but Hagrid had already poked Grawp in the knee with his stick. Grawp let go of the tree and looked down.

"_This_ is Harry, Grawp!" Hagrid said, coming over to where the Gryffindors were. "Harry Potter! He migh' be comin' ter visit yeh if I have ter go away, understand?" Grawp leaned down and looked curiously at the three new humans in his clearing. "An' this is Liza, an' this is Hermione, see? Her—" Hagrid stopped abruptly before turning to Hermione. "Would yeh mind if he called yeh Hermy, Hermione? On'y it's a difficult name fer him ter remember…"

"No, not at all," Hermione said, looking very frightened.

"This is Hermy, Grawp!" Hagrid introduced. "An' she's gonna be comin' an' all! Is'n tha' nice? Eh? Three friends fer yeh ter—GRAWPY, NO!"

Grawp had suddenly thrown his hands out towards the students, and Harry pushed both girls backwards so that the giant only managed to swipe at thin air. The three of them retreated behind a tree, Hermione seeming very distressed. Liza looked around the trunk to see what was happening.

"BAD BOY, GRAWPY!" Hagrid scolded. "VERY BAD BOY! YEH DON' GRAB—OUCH!" Grawp instead pushed Hagrid to the ground, then went back to his pine tree.

"Righ'," Hagrid said, holding his nose with one hand and pushing himself back to his feet with his other one. "Well…there yeah are… Yeh've met him an'—an' now he'll know yeh when yeh come back. Yeah…well…" He glanced at Grawp and sighed. "Well, I reckon tha's enough fer one day. We'll—er—we'll go back now, shall we?"

"Yes," Liza said briskly, while Harry and Hermione nodded.

They walked through the forest together without saying anything. Hermione looked pale and shaken up, and Harry looked as though he were regretting his promise to help Hagrid. Liza was having a hard time believing that Hagrid thought Grawp would be able to fit in with humans.

"Hold it," Hagrid said suddenly after Harry, Hermione, and Liza had just struggled to get through a patch of knotgrass. Hagrid raised his crossbow, an arrow fitted into the quiver. Harry, Hermione, and Liza shrank into each other, hearing movement from nearby.

"Oh blimey," Hagrid muttered.

"I thought that we told you, Hagrid, that you are no longer welcome here?" a voice asked. Liza groaned internally. A centaur had appeared before them, a bow in hand.

"How are yeh, Magorian?" Hagrid asked. The centaur didn't answer, and another four followed behind him.

"So," one of the centaurs said, looking at Magorian. This one had a black body and a thick beard on his face. "We agreed, I think, what we would do if this human showed his face in the forest again?"

"'This human' now, am I?" Hagrid asked. "Jus' fer stoppin' all of yeh committin' murder?"

"You ought not to have meddled, Hagrid," Magorian said. "Our ways are not yours, nor are our laws. Firenze has betrayed and dishonored us."

"I dunno how yeh work that out," Hagrid said. "He's done nothin' except help Albus Dumbledore—"

"Firezne has entered into servitude to humans," a different centaur, this one with a gray body, spoke up.

"_Servitude_!" Hagrid scoffed. "He's doin' Dumbledore a favor is all—"

"He is peddling our knowledge and secrets among humans," Magorian said. "There can be no return from such disgrace."

"If yeh say so," Hagrid said, "but personally I think yeh're makin' a big mistake—"

"As are you, human," the black-bodied centaur said, "coming back into our forest when we warned you—"

"Now, you listen ter me," Hagrid growled. "I'll have less of the 'our' forest, if it's all the same ter you. It's not up ter you who comes an' goes in here—"

"No more is it up to you, Hagrid," Magorian said. "I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young—"

"They're not his!" the black-bodied centaur interrupted. "Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze's teachings…"

"Nevertheless," Magorian cut back in, "the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime… We do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape us."

"I won' be kept outta the fores' by a bunch of mules like you!" Hagrid replied hotly.

"Hagrid," Hermione squeaked, "let's go, please let's go!" Hagrid eyed the centaurs for a moment before turning and continuing away from them.

"We know what you are keeping in the forest, Hagrid!" Magorian added loudly. "And our tolerance is waning!" Hagrid spun around with a glare.

"You'll tolerate him as long as he's here, it's as much his forest as yours!" he shouted. Harry, Liza, and Hermione pushed against Hagrid to try and make him turn away from the centaur. Hagrid looked down after a moment, and he seemed surprised at their behavior.

"Calm down, you three," he said, returning to leading them through the trees. "Ruddy old nags though, eh?"

"I told you they were four years ago," Liza grumbled.

"Hagrid," Hermione began, "if the centaurs don't want humans in the forest, it doesn't really look as though Harry, Liza, and I will be able—"

"Ah, you heard what they said," Hagrid said. "They wouldn't hurt foals—I mean, kids. Anyway, we can' let ourselves be pushed around by that lot…"

"Nice try," Harry whispered to Hermione.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later when they had finally exited the forest. They could hear cheering and shouting coming from the distance.

"Was that another goal?" Hagrid asked, glancing towards the Quidditch pitch. "Or d'you reckon that match is over?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. Liza finally got a good look at Harry and Hermione. They both had cuts all over their arms, and their robes were ripped in multiple places.

"I reckon it's over, yeh know!" Hagrid said. "Look—there's people comin' out already—if you two hurry yeh'll be able ter blend in with the crowd an' no one'll know you weren't there!"

"Good idea," Harry said. "Well…see you later, then, Hagrid…" He led the way towards the Quidditch stadium.

"I don't believe him," Hermione said, shaking her head, once they were out of earshot. "I don't believe him. I _really_ don't believe him…"

"Calm down, 'Mione," Liza said bracingly.

"Calm down!" Hermione said indignantly. "A giant! A giant in the forest! And we're supposed to give him English lessons! Always assuming, of course, we can get past the herd of murderous centaurs on the way in and out! I—don't—_believe_—him!"

"We haven't got to do anything yet!" Harry said, reaching a crowd of students. "He's not asking us to do anything unless he gets chucked out and that might not even happen—"

"Oh come off it, Harry!" Hermione said, stopping suddenly so the people around them had to swerve around her. "Of course he's going to be chucked out and to be perfectly honest, after what we've just seen, who can blame Umbridge?" Harry and Liza glared disbelievingly at Hermione, who looked upset.

"You didn't mean that," Liza said soothingly.

"No…well…all right…I didn't," she said. "But why does he have to make life so difficult for himself—for _us_?"

"I dunno—" Harry was interrupted by singing.

_Weasley is our King  
>Weasley is our King<br>He didn't let the Quaffle in  
>Weasley is our King…<em>

"And I wish they'd stop singing that stupid song," Hermione said, "haven't they gloated enough? Let's get in before we have to meet the Slytherins…"

_Weasley can save anything,  
>He never leaves a single ring,<br>That's why Gryffindors all sing:  
>Weasley is our King<em>.

"Wait a minute," Liza said slowly, listening carefully to the lyrics.

"I hear it, too," Harry said, frowning. They could see a group of students decked out in red and gold, holding someone high above them. The song was coming from this crowd, rather than a Slytherin one.

_Weasley is our King,  
>Weasley is our King,<br>He didn't let the Quaffle in,  
>Weasley is our King<em>

"No!" Hermione gasped.

"YES!" Harry and Liza shouted gleefully.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! LIZA!" Ron shouted, holding the Quidditch Cup in both his hands and riding the wave of Gryffindor supporters. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"

The mass of Gryffindor students continued their march up to the castle, and soon they disappeared inside. Harry, Hermione, and Liza looked at each other, the smiles falling from their faces.

"We'll save our news till tomorrow, shall we?" Harry suggested.

"Yes, all right," Hermione agreed. "I'm not in any hurry…" Liza nodded in agreement, and the three of them hurried into the castle to follow the rest of the Gryffindor students back to the common room.

**~LJ:NK~**


	26. Chapter 26 Ordinary Wizarding Levels

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 26 – Ordinary Wizarding Levels**

Ron was so elated at helping Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup that Liza, Harry, and Hermione found it very difficult to choose when to tell him about Grawp. He was enjoying being congratulated and listening to random outbursts of "Weasley is Our King" with the Gryffindors' new lyrics.

Eventually, Liza, Harry, and Hermione convinced Ron to go outside with them to study. They figured that the chances of being overheard would be much smaller if they were out of the common room. But as soon as they settled down next to the lake, Ron began talking about his first save of the match.

"Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's," he said, "so I wasn't feeling that confident, but I dunno, when Bradley came toward me, just out of nowhere, I thought—_you can do this_! And I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goal hoop—my right, obviously, his left—but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left—his right, I mean—and—well—you saw what happened." He paused to run a hand through his hair, tousling it so it looked like he'd just gotten off of his broom, and glanced around to see if there was anyone around. "And then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later—what?" he asked Harry abruptly. "Why are you grinning?"

"I'm not," Harry answered swiftly, looking down at his Transfiguration work. Liza could see the smile still on his face, but Harry said, "I'm just glad we won, that's all."

"Yeah, _we won_," Ron said, a look of bliss on his face. "Did you see the look on Chang's face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?" Harry's smile dropped immediately.

"I suppose she cried, did she?" Harry guessed.

"Well, yeah—more out of temper than anything, though…" Ron frowned at the other three suspiciously. "But you saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

"Er—" Harry said.

"Well, actually…no, Ron," Liza said, deciding it was time to tell him what had happened during the match. Hermione sighed and set her book down.

"As a matter of fact, the only bit of the match Harry, Liza, and I saw was Davies's first goal," she explained.

"You didn't watch?" Ron asked, clearly upset. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"Well—no," Liza said.

"But Ron, we didn't want to leave—we had to!" Hermione added pleadingly.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, his face flushing. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," Harry said. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the forest with him, we had no choice, you know how he gets… Anyway…"

Hermione and Liza let Harry tell Ron the whole story of Grawp. Liza watched Ron warily as his face went from bright red to pale with shock.

"_He brought one back and hid it in the forest_?" he asked hoarsely as Harry finished.

"Yep," Harry confirmed simply.

"No," Ron said. "No, he can't have…" He looked helplessly between Liza and Hermione.

"Well, he has," Liza said. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall and enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees."

"And he knows me," Hermione added, "as _Hermy_." Ron let out a nervous bark-like laugh.

"And Hagrid wants us to…?" Ron began.

"Teach him English, yeah," Harry finished for him.

"He's lost his mind," Ron decided.

"Yes," Hermione agreed, looking back at her book. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made us promise."

"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all," Ron insisted. "I mean, come on… We've got exams and we're about that far," he held his forefinger and thumb about a millimeter apart, "from being chucked out as it is. And anyway…remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"

"There was Buckbeak," Liza said. "And besides, we're his friend, and we promised." Ron ran a hand through his hair again, although this time he wasn't doing it for attention.

"Well, Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he?" Ron reasoned. "He's hung on this long, maybe he'll hang on till the end of term and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."

**~LJ:NK~**

June had arrived, meaning that the O.W.L.s were now right around the corner for the fifth-years. Liza wanted nothing more than to be enjoying the beautiful weather outside, but she couldn't let herself be tempted by the warm sun and green grass.

The fifth-years were no longer getting homework from the professors. Instead, classes were spent reviewing topics that the teachers were sure would come up on their exams. Liza could feel herself growing more exhausted, and with one look around at her classmates, she knew she wasn't the only one.

"How many hours d'you think you're doing a day?" Ernie asked one day before Herbology began. He looked slightly manic, his hair messy and his eyes bulging.

"I dunno," Ron said. "A few…"

"More or less than eight?" Ernie demanded.

"Less, I s'pose," Ron replied uneasily.

"I'm doing eight," Ernie announced. "Eight or nine. I'm getting an hour in before breakfast every day. Eight's my average. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. Not so good on Tuesday—only seven and a quarter. Then on Wednesday—"

He was interrupted by Professor Sprout arriving to begin class.

As if the students weren't stressed enough, Malfoy knew exactly what to say to make some of the fifth-years panic even more.

"Of course, it's not what you know," he said loudly to Crabbe and Goyle outside of Potions class, "it's who you know. Now, Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years—old Griselda Marchbanks—we've had her round for dinner and everything…"

"Do you think that's true?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice.

"Nothing we can do about it if it is," Ron replied.

"I don't think it's true," Neville said. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Liza turned to see him standing behind them. "Because Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."

"What's she like, Neville?" Hermione questioned. "Is she strict?"

"Bit like Gran, really," Neville answered.

"Knowing her won't hurt your chances though, will it?" Ron tried to reassure Neville, who looked a bit gloomy.

"Oh, I don't think it will make any difference," Neville said. "Gran's always telling Professor Marchbanks I'm not as good as my dad… Well…you saw what she's like at St. Mungo's…" Liza wanted to reach out to her friend, but John had arrived, which provided her a distraction.

A black market had sprung up as the exams grew ever closer for the fifth-years and seventh-years. All kinds of solutions for concentration and sleepiness were being offered to those studying feverishly.

Eddie Carmichael, a sixth-year Ravenclaw, offered Harry and Ron a bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir. He claimed that it was the only reason he received nine "Outstanding" O.W.L.s the year before. Before Ron and Harry could fork over twelve Galleons, Hermione confiscated the bottle and poured it down a toilet.

"Hermione, we wanted to buy that!" Ron yelled angrily.

"Don't be stupid," Hermione scoffed. "You might as well take Harold Dingle's powdered dragon claw and have done with it."

"Dingle's got a powdered dragon claw?" Ron asked.

"Not anymore," Hermione sniffed. "I confiscated that too."

"None of these things actually work, you know," Liza added, frowning.

"Dragon claw does work!" Ron insisted. "It's supposed to be incredible, really gives your brain a boost, you come over all cunning for a few hours—Hermione, let me have a pinch, go on, it can't hurt—"

"This stuff can," Hermione said. "I've had a look at it, and it's actually dried doxy droppings."

Harry and Ron didn't express any interest in study aids after that.

During their next Transfiguration class, the Gryffindor fifth-years found out the dates and times of their exams.

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall began as the fifth-years copied down the schedule, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night.

"Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink. Every year, I am afraid to say, seems to harbor at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules. I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new—headmistress," Professor McGonagall said the word with a very sour tone, "has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely—because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school…"

Professor McGonagall heaved a sigh, and Liza exchanged looks with Harry.

"However, that is no reason not to do your very best," Professor McGonagall concluded. "You have your own futures to think about."

"Please, Professor," Hermione said, waving her hand in the air, "when will we find out our results?"

"An owl will be sent to you sometime in July," Professor McGonagall answered.

"Excellent," Dean sighed, "so we don't have to worry about it till the holidays…"

**~LJ:NK~**

The final weekend before the O.W.L.s began found the fifth-years huddled in the common room, studying furiously. On Sunday afternoon, Harry agreed to quiz Hermione. However, she would continually rip the book out of his hands to check if her answers were correct and she eventually hit Harry in the nose.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" Harry insisted, rubbing his face. Liza glanced up to see him looking very cross and turning back to his own notes. Then she took a quick look around the circle of fifth-years. Ron had his fingers in his ears, reading his Charms notes and mouthing something. Seamus and Dean were quizzing each other, and Lavender and Parvati were practicing locomotion charms by racing their pencils around the table.

Dinner was quiet as the fifth-years ate heartily. Finally, Hermione dropped her fork onto her plate, the nerves obvious on her face.

"Oh, my goodness," she whispered, looking out into the Entrance Hall. "Is that them? Is that the examiners?"

Harry, Ron, and Liza quickly turned their heads to look where Hermione was staring. Umbridge was in the Entrance Hall, greeting a group of elderly witches and wizards.

"_Those_ are the examiners?" Liza asked.

"Shall we go and have a closer look?" Ron suggested. Harry, Hermione, and Liza all agreed, and the four of them hurried from the hall.

The slowly walked past the examiners. Umbridge was talking to one of the witches, who have may been a bit deaf as she was yelling back her answers to the headmistress. Liza assumed this was Professor Marchbanks.

"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before!" the witch was saying as the fifth-years halted at the base of the marble staircase. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately! No idea where he is, I suppose?" Ron quickly dropped down to the floor, pretending to lace up his shoes.

"None at all," Umbridge replied, giving the four Gryffindors a menacing look. "But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough…"

"I doubt it," Professor Marchbanks scoffed, "not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found! I should know… Examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s… Did things with a wand I'd never seen before…"

"Yes…well…" Umbridge said vaguely. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Liza began their way up the stairs as slowly as they could get away with. "Let me show you to the staffroom… I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey…"

**~LJ:NK~**

After having trouble falling asleep and waking up early, Liza and the other Gryffindor fifth-years went down to breakfast on the day of their first exam. Anxiety was high, and many of the students were trying to fit in some last-minute studying.

When breakfast had finished, the rest of the school went off to their classes as usual, and the fifth-years and seventh-years gathered in the Entrance Hall.

John came over to Liza, who was nervously braiding a chunk of her hair.

"Are you all right?" he asked, a faint smile on his lips.

"Yes and no," Liza replied. "Yes because I know these exams aren't the end of the world, but no because I'm still nervous." John pressed his lips against her forehead.

"You'll do fine, I know it," he assured her. "I've seen the marks you get on your Charms homework. You know your stuff."

"Thanks," Liza sighed. She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a brief hug. "Good luck. You'll do great, too, I know it."

Soon, they were calling the students back into the Great Hall. The four house tables had been removed and replaced with many single-student desks. Professor McGonagall stood at the front of the room, waiting for everyone to get settled.

When everyone was quiet, she said, "You may begin." She turned over the giant hourglass that sat next to her, and the room was filled with the sounds of fluttering papers and quill scratching.

**~LJ:NK~**

"Well, it wasn't too bad, was it?" Hermione asked. She still had the exam paper in her hands. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on Cheering Charms, I just ran out of time—did you put in the countercharm for hiccups? I wasn't sure whether I ought to, it felt like too much—and on question twenty-three—"

"Hermione, we've been through this before…" Ron moaned. "We're not going through every exam afterward, it's bad enough doing them once."

Soon it was lunchtime, and the fifth-years trooped back into the Great Hall where the four house tables had reappeared. Then, when they were finished with their meal, they once again waited outside the Hall. This time, the students were called into the room in groups.

Of Liza's friends, Hermione was the first to go into the Great Hall for her practical exam. Liza was called in the very next group, along with a Hufflepuff girl named Megan, a Ravenclaw girl named Sue, and Neville.

The four of them entered the Great Hall, and Professor Flitwick directed them to the available examiners. Liza went to the designated examiner, who had her perform a few Charms. She had no problems with any of the spells, and the examiner let her go with a wide smile and hearty farewell.

Liza wasn't allowed to talk to any of the fifth-years who hadn't finished their exam, so she had no choice but to head back to the Gryffindor common room. There she found Hermione furiously studying for Transfiguration.

"That wasn't so bad," Liza commented, sinking into the chair next to her friend. "I don't want to go so far as to say it was easy, but it definitely wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be."

"No, it wasn't too difficult," Hermione agreed. "But this is only the beginning."

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the week passed in a similar fashion. The next day, they had their Transfiguration exam. The written portion was a bit more difficult for Liza than the Charms one had, but the practical went almost as well. It took her two tries to transfigure her rat into a goblet; the first time she did it, the goblet still had whiskers.

Wednesday they had their Herbology exam, and on Thursday they had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Liza had never felt more grateful for the D.A. than she did while taking her exam on Thursday. Although there were a couple of questions on the written part that confused her, she felt very confident during the practical exam. When the examiner let her leave, she walked past Umbridge, who had a sour look on her face.

On Friday, Harry and Ron had the day off, but Hermione had Ancient Runes and Liza had Muggle Studies. Liza felt very confident about her Muggle Studies exam, and she went back to the common room in quite a happy mood.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked when Liza found him and Ron lounging in front of a chess set.

"Very well," Liza replied, smiling. "How has your day off been? Looks like you've gotten a lot done." She watched as one of Ron's castles tackled Harry's bishop.

"We've got all weekend to study," Ron said. "We've decided that we've earned a little break. Sit down, Liza, put your feet up."

As soon as Liza sat down in an empty seat, the portrait hole opened once again. Hermione stomped into the room, looking upset.

"How were the runes?" Ron asked.

"I mistranslated 'ehwaz'," Hermione replied. "It means 'partnership,' not 'defense,' I messed it up with 'eihwaz.'"

"Ah well," Ron said, "that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get—"

"Oh shut up," Hermione snapped, "it could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail."

"Calm down, 'Mione," Liza said soothingly, but Hermione was too worked up to be comforted.

"What's more, someone's put another niffler in Umbridge's office," she reported, "I don't know how they got it through that new door, but I just walked past there and Umbridge is shrieking her head off—by the sound of it, it tried to take a chunk out of her leg—"

"Good," Harry and Ron said.

"It is _not_ good!" Hermione shot back. "She thinks it's Hagrid doing it, remember? And we do _not_ want Hagrid chucked out!"

"He's teaching at the moment, she can't blame him," Harry said, pointing out the window. Liza glanced out it to see Hagrid standing at the edge of the forest with a class in front of him.

"Oh, you're so _naïve_ sometimes, Harry, you really think Umbridge will wait for proof?" Hermione said. Then she turned and left for the girls' staircase.

"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," Ron commented, sending his queen at one of Harry's knights.

Hermione remained in a fairly bad mood for the rest of the weekend, but Liza found her easy to avoid. Instead of studying in the Gryffindor common room, Liza joined John in the library on both Saturday and Sunday to study for their Potions exam, which was scheduled for Monday.

The written exam for Potions was difficult for Liza, but the practical went pretty well. She found that it was much easier to brew a potion when Snape was lurking around the room. At the end of the practical, she bottled up a sample of her potion with confidence and joined the rest of the Gryffindor fifth-years on the way back to their tower.

"Only four exams left," Parvati said as they climbed a set of stairs.

"Only!" Hermione exclaimed. "_I've_ got Arithmancy, and it's probably the toughest subject there is!"

"Hermione," Liza groaned, tired of her friend's attitude. Nobody else said anything to Hermione, who remained moody for the rest of the night and ended up taking her frustrations out on a couple of first-years by telling them off for laughing too loudly.

Tuesday was their Care of Magical Creatures exam. Liza felt that the written exam went pretty well, and the practical went even better, although she did receive a minor burn as she was cleaning a fire-crab.

On Wednesday, the fifth-years had their Astronomy written exam in the morning. Then, because the practical wouldn't be until that night, they split of to do either Divination or Arithmancy.

When Liza and Hermione had finished with their Arithmancy exam, they headed back to the common room and ran into Harry and Ron in a corridor on the way there.

"How did Divination go?" Liza asked the boys, who were giving Hermione wary side-long glances.

"All right," Ron sighed. "I mean, I didn't expect to pass anyway… How was Arithmancy?"

"Well, I think I've done all right," Hermione answered. Liza saw the boys breathe sighs of relief that Hermione no longer seemed to be in a foul mood.

"Same here," Liza added.

"Just time for a quick look over our star charts before dinner, then?" Hermione suggested, and the other three agreed.

That night, the fifth-years went up to the Astronomy tower to find a very clear sky above them. The moon shone brightly onto the grounds below as they all set up their telescopes. The examiners passed out the charts to be filled out, and soon they were all working quietly.

Towards the end of the exam, Liza had finished drawing one of the constellations onto her chart when she saw movement down on the grounds. She paused, watching as a group of people glided across the grass. Someone cleared their throat from nearby, but Liza's eyes were fixed on the group moving away from the castle. The person at the front of the parade was obviously Umbridge.

"Miss, the examination is not over yet," one of the examiners said quietly, stopping next to Liza's telescope.

"I know," Liza breathed, still watching the group of people below. They had reached Hagrid's hut, and Liza could just make out the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

"Miss—" the examiner tried again, but suddenly there was a loud roar from Hagrid's hut. Liza's breath caught in her throat.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," a different examiner announced. "Ahem—twenty minutes to go." Liza didn't even bother looking back into her telescope; she was too concerned about what was happening below.

Then there was a loud bang, and Hagrid's front door had burst open. The man barreled out of his hut, his fist flying through the air, as the six people sent red Stunners towards him.

"No!" Hermione gasped.

"My dear!" an examiner exclaimed. "This is an examination!"

"Hagrid!" Liza shouted, standing up and leaning against the edge of the tower.

"Miss, I must insist that you return to your telescope—!" But Liza ignored them, watching as the Stunners bounced off of Hagrid, seeming to have no effect on him.

"Be reasonable, Hagrid!" one of the six on the ground cried.

"Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!" Hagrid yelled back. There was a howl as Fang jumped in front of his master, trying to defend him, and one of the figures sent a Stunner at the dog. Liza gasped as Hagrid grabbed the one who Stunned Fang and threw him across the grounds.

"Look!" Parvati said, pointing down towards the front door of the castle. It had opened, and someone was running out towards Hagrid's hut.

"Now, really!" an examiner said. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"

"Shut up!" Liza snapped at them.

"How dare you!" the new person was shouting as they ran across the grass. "How _dare_ you!"

"It's McGonagall!" Hermione said in a hushed voice.

"Leave him alone!" Professor McGonagall was commanding. "_Alone_, I say! On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such—"

Liza screamed, along with many of the other students. Of the five remaining members of the group on the grounds, four of them sent Stunners straight at Professor McGonagall. The professor was lifted off her feet and thrown onto the ground.

"No!" Liza gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth.

"Galloping gargoyles!" one of the examiners cried. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behavior!"

"COWARDS!" Hagrid shouted. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT—AN' THAT—" He took a couple of swipes at the people closest to him, sending them to the ground.

"Oh my—" Liza heard Hermione murmur faintly.

Meanwhile, Hagrid had hoisted Fang's limp body over his shoulders and was standing tall in front of the remaining three figures.

"Get him, get him!" Umbridge yelled. Neither of the others left seemed to want to get close to Hagrid, however, and Hagrid turned and ran from the grounds. Umbridge tried to Stun him once more, but she missed, and Hagrid had disappeared.

The silence that followed was very tense. Finally, one of the examiners said, "Um…five minutes to go, everybody…"

Liza half-heartedly returned to her chart, which was mostly finished anyway, and when the exam was over, she hurriedly put her things away. She met up with Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the bottom of the Astronomy tower.

"That evil woman!" Hermione raged. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"

"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," Ernie commented, having joined them briefly. John was also quick to join them, putting his arm around Liza's shoulders.

"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" Ron pointed out. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"

"It'll be his giant blood," Hermione replied. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough… But poor Professor McGonagall… Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?"

"Dreadful, dreadful," Ernie added. "Well, I'm off to bed… 'Night, all…" Many of the other fifth-years were beginning to disperse, as well.

"Are you all right?" John asked Liza quietly. Liza, who could feel her hands still shaking, nodded her head.

"I'll be fine," she said. "You'd better get back to your dormitory." John agreed and kissed her softly. When he left, Liza turned back to her friends.

"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," Ron said. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?"

"I suppose so," Hermione answered. "Oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too…"

The four of them walked back to the common room, where they found many of the other Gryffindors awake and listening to what had happened from Dean and Seamus.

"But why sack Hagrid now?" Angelina Johnson asked when Dean and Seamus had finished. "It's not like Trelawney, he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"

"Umbridge hates part-humans," Liza scowled. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out."

"And she thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office," Katie Bell added.

"Oh blimey," Lee Jordan spoke up, looking horrified. "It's me's been putting the nifflers in her office, Fred and George left me a couple, I've been levitating them in through her window…"

"She'd have sacked him anyway," Dean said. "He was too close to Dumbledore."

"That's true," Harry agreed.

"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," Lavender whispered.

"They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," Colin Creevey reported. "She didn't look very well…"

"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," Alicia Spinnet insisted. "She's never failed yet."

**~LJ:NK~**

Nobody seemed to want to go to bed, even though the fifth-years and seventh-years had their last exams the next day. It was almost four in the morning before Liza and Hermione dragged themselves up to their dormitory to get some sleep.

Their final exam was History of Magic, and it wouldn't take place until that afternoon. After breakfast, the fifth-years huddled in the common room, trying not to fall asleep in their notes.

At two o'clock, the fifth-years went down to the Great Hall to take their last exam. The examiners passed out the papers when everyone was seated.

"Turn over your papers," the examiner at the front of the room announced. "You may begin…" She turned over the hour glass next to her, and the fifth-years began.

It was slightly dull, but Liza forced herself to keep going. She was tired, and she just wanted the exams to be over. This exam was proving to be the hardest, but only because Liza was having a hard time concentrating.

They were nearing the end of the exam when there was a sudden yell from somewhere behind Liza. She recognized the voice and automatically turned to find Harry. She looked up just in time to see him sliding out of his chair and onto the floor of the Great Hall.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, unable to help herself. She tried to rise from her seat, but an examiner's hand was on her shoulder immediately.

"Silence, please, return to your examination," the woman said gruffly. Another examiner was hurrying over to Harry and helping him off the floor.

"Come along, dear boy, we'll just take you up to the hospital wing," the man said, dragging Harry from the room. When Harry and the examiner were gone, Liza looked around to exchanged glances with Ron at the back of the room. She knew he was thinking the same as she was…

_What the hell was that all about?_

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: Getting towards the end now. 6 chapters left!**_


	27. Chapter 27 After Harry's Vision

_**A/N: Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 27 – After Harry's Vision**

The next ten minutes went by agonizingly slowly for Liza. She couldn't concentrate on her last question and ended up scribbling something down that she was sure didn't make any sense. Finally, the examiners let the fifth-years leave the Great Hall, and Liza, Hermione, and Ron wasted no time running out of the Hall.

They made it to the marble staircase when they found Harry waiting for them at the top.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "What happened? Are you all right? Are you ill?"

"Where have you been?" Ron asked.

"Come with me," Harry said. "Come on, I've got to tell you something…" He led the other three down a corridor and into an empty classroom. Liza, Hermione, and Ron went into the room, and Harry shut the door behind them.

"Voldemort's got Sirius," he said, looking at the three of them in turn.

"_What_?" Liza yelped, her eyes widening in alarm.

"How d'you—?" Hermione began.

"Saw it," Harry cut in. "Just now. When I fell asleep in the exam."

"But—but where? How?" Hermione asked, her face pale.

"I dunno how," Harry replied. "But I know exactly where. There's a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in these little glass balls, and they're at the end of row ninety-seven… He's trying to use Sirius to get whatever he wants from in there… He's torturing him… Says he'll end by killing him…" He walked shakily over to a desk and sat down.

"How're we going to get there?" he asked hoarsely. Liza, Ron, and Hermione stared at him.

"G-get there?" Ron eventually repeated.

"Get to the Department of Mysteries, so we can rescue Sirius!" Harry insisted.

"But—Harry…" Liza trailed off, not sure what to tell him.

"What? _What?_" Harry snapped.

"Harry," Hermione began, "er…how…how did Voldemort get into the Ministry of Magic without anybody realizing he was there?"

"How do I know?" Harry cried. "The question is how _we're_ going to get in there!"

"But…Harry, think about this," Hermione said, "it's five o'clock in the afternoon… The Ministry of Magic must be full of workers… How would Voldemort and Sirius have got in without being seen? Harry…they're probably the two most wanted wizards in the world… You think they could get into a building full of Aurors undetected?"

"I dunno, Voldemort used an Invisibility Cloak or something!" Harry said, waving his hand carelessly. "Anyway, the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I've been—"

"You've never been there, Harry," Hermione corrected him. "You've dreamed about the place, that's all."

"They're not normal dreams!" Harry yelled, standing up and glaring at Hermione. "How d'you explain Ron's dad then, what was all that about, how come I knew what had happened to him?"

"He's got a point," Ron murmured, but Hermione ignored him.

"But this is just—just so _unlikely_!" she said. "Harry, how on earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he's been in Grimmauld Place all the time?"

"He could have left," Liza supplied quietly, feeling uneasy. "He's been wanting to get out of that house forever, and he could have finally cracked…"

"But why," Hermione continued, "why on earth would Voldemort want to use _Sirius_ to get the weapon, or whatever the thing is?"

"I dunno, there could be loads of reasons!" Harry insisted. "Maybe Sirius is just someone Voldemort doesn't care about seeing hurt—"

"You know what, I've thought of something," Ron spoke up. "Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, wasn't he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!"

"Yeah—and that's why Dumbledore's been so keen to keep Sirius locked up all the time!" Harry added excitedly. Liza frowned.

"That doesn't make much sense," she said. "Sirius said that when he left his family, he never spoke to them again. Why would his brother have told him anything when they weren't on speaking terms?"

"Not to mention that we have no proof for any of this," Hermione said hotly, "no proof Voldemort and Sirius are even there—"

"Hermione, Harry's seen them!" Ron snarled.

"Okay," Hermione sighed, "I've just got to say this…"

"What?" Harry asked harshly.

"You… This isn't a criticism, Harry! But you do…sort of…I mean—don't you think you've got a bit of a—a—_saving-people thing_?" Hermione pointed out.

"And what's that supposed to mean, a 'saving-people thing'?" Harry questioned.

"Well…you…" Hermione looked nervous, but she continued anyway, "I mean…last year, for instance…in the lake…during the Tournament…you shouldn't have…I mean, you didn't need to save that little Delacour girl… You got a bit…carried away… I mean, it was really great of you and everything," she said quickly, noticing the angry look on Harry's face. "Everyone thought it was a wonderful thing to do—"

"That's funny," Harry said, "because I definitely remember Ron saying I'd wasted time _acting the hero_… Is that what you think this is? You reckon I want to act the hero again?"

"No, no, no!" Hermione cried. "That's not what I meant at all!"

"Well, spit out what you've got to say, because we're wasting time here!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" Liza snapped. "Stop attacking her!"

"I'm trying to say—Voldemort knows you, Harry!" Hermione said. "He took Ginny down into the Chamber of Secrets to lure you there, it's the kind of thing he does, he knows you're the—the sort of person who'd go to Sirius's aid! What if he's just trying to get you into the Department of Myst—?"

"Hermione, it doesn't matter if he's done it to get me there or not," Harry said exasperatedly. "They've taken McGonagall to St. Mungo's, there isn't anyone left from the Order at Hogwarts who we can tell, and if we don't go, Sirius is dead!"

"But Harry—what if your dream was—was just that, a dream?" Hermione asked desperately. Harry let out a loud cry.

"You don't get it!" he shouted. "I'm not having nightmares, I'm not just dreaming! What d'you think all the Occlumency was for, why d'you think Dumbledore wanted me prevented from seeing these things? Because they're REAL, Hermione—Sirius is trapped—I've seen him—Voldemort's got him, and no one else knows, and that means we're the only ones who can save him, and if you don't want to do it, fine, but I'm going, understand? And if I remember rightly, you didn't have a problem with my _saving-people thing_ when it was you I was saving from the dementors, or," he glared over at Ron, "when it was your sister I was saving from the basilisk—!"

"I never said I had a problem!" Ron insisted.

"But Harry, you've just said it," Hermione said. "Dumbledore wanted you to learn to shut these things out of your mind, if you'd done Occlumency properly you'd never have seen this—"

"IF YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO ACT LIKE I HAVEN'T SEEN—!" Harry yelled.

"Sirius told you there was nothing more important than you learning to close your mind!" Liza interrupted him.

"WELL, I EXPECT HE'D SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IF HE KNEW WHAT I'D JUST—!" Harry roared, but he was cut off. The door to the classroom open, and the four of them turned to see Ginny entering the room, followed by Luna.

"Hi," Ginny said. "We recognized Harry's voice—what are you yelling about?"

"Never you mind," Harry said sharply, and Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.

"There's no need to take that tone with me," she said. "I was only wondering whether I could help."

"Well, you can't," Harry replied.

"You're being rather rude, you know," Luna said. Harry swore quietly and turned his back on the girls.

"She's right, you know," Liza agreed roughly.

"Wait," Hermione said. "Wait… Harry, they _can_ help." Everyone turned to her, and she said, "Listen, Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left headquarters—"

"I've told you, I saw—" Harry began.

"Harry, I'm begging you, please!" Hermione stopped him. "Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London—if we find out he's not there then I swear I won't try and stop you, I'll come, I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him—"

"Sirius is being tortured NOW!" Harry cried. "We haven't got time to waste—"

"But Harry, what if this is a trick of Voldemort's?" Liza pointed out. "We've got to check before we do anything rash."

"How?" Harry asked. "How're we going to check?"

"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," Hermione replied, looking anxious. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny and Luna."

"Yeah, we'll do it," Ginny agreed.

"When you say 'Sirius,' are you talking about Stubby Boardman?" Luna asked, but nobody paid her any attention.

"Okay," Harry said, "okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you, otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now—"

"The Department of Mysteries?" Luna echoed interestedly. "But how are you going to get there?"

"Never mind that for now, Luna," Liza said absently.

"Right," Hermione said, beginning to pace back and forth. "Right…well… Once of us has to go and find Umbridge and—and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her—I don't know—that Peeves is up to something awful as usual…"

"I'll do it," Ron volunteered. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something, it's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way…"

"I'll come with you," Liza said. "Two witnesses might be more convincing."

"Okay," Hermione continued. "Now, we need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off…"

"Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor," Ginny spoke up, "and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas." The rest of them look at her, impressed with how quickly she had come up with a distraction. Ginny added, "Fred and George were planning to do it before they left."

"Okay," Hermione said, "well then, Harry, you and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak, and we'll sneak into the office and you can talk to Sirius—"

"He's not there, Hermione!" Harry insisted.

"I mean, you can—can check whether Sirius is at home or not while I keep watch," Hermione said. "I don't think you should be in there alone, Lee's already proved the window's a weak spot, sending those nifflers through it."

"I…okay, thanks," Harry said.

"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," Hermione said, "not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."

"Five minutes'll be enough," Harry said. "C'mon, let's go—"

"_Now_?" Hermione squeaked.

"Of course now!" Harry shouted. "What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured _right now_!"

"I—oh all right," Hermione gave in. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, okay?" Harry wordlessly tore from the room, disappearing in seconds.

"There are so many ways this could go wrong," Hermione moaned.

"We'd better get down to the corridor," Liza said. The others agreed, and they went up to the second floor to wait for Harry.

It was only a few minutes until Harry showed up again.

"Got it," he said. "Ready to go, then?"

"All right, Hermione said nervously. "So Ron, Liza—you go and head Umbridge off… Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor… Harry and I will get the clock on and wait until the coast is clear…"

"Let's go," Ron said determinedly. Liza nodded, and the two of them hurried off. "Where do you reckon she is?" Ron asked.

"Let's try her classroom first," Liza answered. "Classes just finished, after all." They rushed down to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to find Umbridge there.

"Professor!" Liza called as she and Ron entered the room. "Professor, we've just seen Peeves up in the Transfiguration department, smashing everything in his wake!" Umbridge looked up at the two Gryffindors.

"Really?" she asked in her sickly sweet voice. "Peeves is up in the Transfiguration department? Well, I just received word from Filch that Peeves was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of the school telescopes not a moment ago."

"W-well, Filch must be mistaken," Ron said. "We just came from the Transfiguration department—"

"And what were the two of you doing in the Transfiguration department?" Umbridge interrupted. "Were you not just in the Great Hall taking your History of Magic O.W.L.?" Ron and Liza exchanged a quick glance.

"In fact, I also just received word that there is someone breaking into my office," Umbridge continued calmly. "So do you know what I think? I think that whoever is breaking into my office sent the two of you as a diversion. Miss Runcorn, Vaisey!" Liza and Ron wheeled around to see two large Slytherins advancing towards them. "Please apprehend these two, and then follow me to my office. Take their wands!" she added sharply as Ron and Liza pulled theirs out.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Runcorn shouted, pointing her wand at the two Gryffindors. Liza's and Ron's wands shot out of their hands. Vaisey, meanwhile, produced some ropes from his wand, binding Liza's and Ron's hands together.

"You can't do this!" Liza snapped at Umbridge desperately.

"I can do anything I wish!" Umbridge replied scathingly, waving her own wand. Liza felt herself being gagged. "I am the headmistress at this school, and you students would do well to remember so!" She turned to her Inquisitorial Squad members and said, "Gag the boy and bring them with." Vaisey stuffed a gag into Ron's mouth. Then the two Slytherins began to push the Gryffindors down the corridor, following Umbridge closely.

"What's all this?" Umbridge asked as they reached the corridor with her office in it. There were flashes of bright lights as Ginny and Luna fought off another few members of the Inquisitorial Squad. Umbridge waved her wand, disarming the two girls.

"Bind their hands and gag them," Umbridge instructed. "When they are apprehended, bring them into my office. Malfoy, Miss Bullstrode, come with me." Liza turned to see Malfoy and Millicent Bullstrode following Umbridge into her office. The remaining Slytherins—Warrington, Crabbe, and Goyle—tied Luna's and Ginny's hands together.

"No!" a voice shouted from nearby. Suddenly Neville was charging towards Goyle, who was holding Ginny hostage, but Warrington waved his wand lazily, stopping Neville in his tracks.

"Take him, as well," he instructed. "I'm sure the headmistress wouldn't mind." Crabbe tied Neville's hands together and stuffed a gag into his mouth. Then Warrington pushed the door of Umbridge's office open and started shoving the Gryffindors and Luna into the room.

"Got 'em all," Warrington announced when they had all entered. "_That_ one," he pointed to Neville, "tried to stop us taking _her_," he pointed at Ginny, "so I brought him along too."

"Good, good," Umbridge said, nodding. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?" Malfoy let out a laugh from where he was standing. Umbridge, grinning widely, sat down in an armchair.

"So, Potter," she began. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent these buffoons," she nodded at Liza and Ron, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so.

"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone…" Liza struggled against the hands of her captor, but she couldn't break free. Other members of the Inquisitorial Squad guffawed.

"It's none of your business who I talk to," Harry growled.

"Very well," Umbridge said. "Very well, Mr. Potter…I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco—fetch Professor Snape." Malfoy left the room, looking delighted.

_Snape_. Liza's eyes widened slightly, and she exchanged a glance with Hermione, who was being held by Millicent Bullstrode. Liza couldn't even believe they hadn't thought to talk to Snape. He was part of the Order, surely he would have been able to help them…

Hermione, Ron, Liza, Neville, and Ginny continued to struggle against the Slytherins, but it seemed that there was no use. Luna was the only one who was standing still, gazing out the window.

Soon, Malfoy returned, leading Snape into the office.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" he asked, looking indifferently around the room.

"Ah, Professor Snape," Umbridge said briskly. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter," he said. "Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient." Color appeared on Umbridge's cheeks.

"You can make some more, can't you?" she demanded.

"Certainly," Snape said. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."

"A month?" Umbridge asked, furious. "A _month_? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"

"Really?" Snape turned to look at Harry, his eyebrows raised. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."

"I wish to interrogate him!" Umbridge cried. Snape looked back at her. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"

"I have already told you," Snape answered, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter—and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did—I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling…"

"You are on probation!" Umbridge screeched, and Snape raised his eyebrows at her. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!" Liza watched in shock as Snape simply turned to leave.

"He's got Padfoot!" Harry yelled suddenly. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" Snape froze, his hand on the office door.

"Padfoot?" Umbridge repeated, confused but eager. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?" Snape slowly revolved to look at Harry once more.

"I have no idea," the Potions professor said. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job." Then he left the office, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Very well," Umbridge said in a shaky voice, drawing the attention back to her. "Very well… I am left with no alternative… This is more than a matter of school discipline… This is an issue of Ministry security… Yes…yes…" She stared at Harry, looking almost anxious. "You are forcing me, Potter… I do not want to, but sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice… The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge finished quietly.

"No!" Hermione yelled; she was the only one who wasn't gagged. "Professor Umbridge—it's illegal!" But Umbridge didn't say anything to her; she raised her wand to Harry, a strangely excited gleam forming in her eyes.

"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" Hermione tried again.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," Umbridge said, her wand shaking in her hand. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same…"

"It was _you_?" Harry asked. "_You_ sent the dementors after me?"

"_Somebody_ had to act," Umbridge answered. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow—discrediting you—but I was the one who actually _did_ something about it… Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today, though, not now…" She took a breath and shouted, "_Cruc_—"

"NO!" Hermione screamed. "No—Harry—Harry, we have to tell her!"

"No way!" Harry yelled back. Liza looked at Hermione, noticing the desperate way she was attempting to get away from Millicent Bullstrode.

"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's…what's the point…?" Hermione's voice broke, and she began to sob, throwing her hands over her face. Bullstrode took a few steps away from Hermione, looking disgusted.

"Well, well, well!" Umbridge said. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"

"Er—my—nee—no!" Ron managed to yell around his gag. Ginny and Neville stared incredulously at Hermione, and Liza was also at a loss as to why Hermione was breaking down.

"I'm—I'm sorry everyone," Hermione choked out. "But—I can't stand it—"

"That's right, that's right, girl!" Umbridge urged. She grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and pushed her into the armchair in the corner. "Now then…with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," Hermione began, "well, he was _trying_ to speak to Professor Dumbledore…" Liza exchanged glances of relief with Ginny and Ron.

"Dumbledore?" Umbridge echoed. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"

"Well…no!" Hermione cried. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head—"

"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" Umbridge snapped. Liza watched as Ron strained against the Slytherin holding him, his face angry.

"But—but we needed to tell him something important!" Hermione said. She held her hands tightly over her face.

"Yes?" Umbridge said. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"We…we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" Hermione replied.

"What's ready?" Umbridge asked eagerly, shaking Hermione by the shoulders. "What's ready, girl?"

"The…the weapon," Hermione sobbed.

"Weapon? Weapon?" Umbridge repeated, beside herself. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"

"Y-y-yes," Hermione answered. "But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?" Umbridge demanded.

"We don't r-r-really understand it," Hermione said. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do…" Umbridge stood up straight, looking overjoyed.

"Lead me to the weapon," she commanded.

"I'm not showing…_them_," Hermione said, peeking at the Slytherins through her fingers.

"It is not for you to set conditions," Umbridge said.

"Fine," Hermione said, "fine…let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right—oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll be able to s-sort you out!"

Umbridge hesitated, weighing Hermione's words in her mind. Then she took a look around at the Slytherins that made up her Inquisitorial Squad.

"All right, dear, let's make it just you and me…" Umbridge eventually said. "And we'll take Potter too, shall we? Get up, now—"

"Professor," Malfoy spoke up, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after—"

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage two wandless teenagers alone?" Umbridge asked, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these," she gestured to the remaining Gryffindors and Luna, "escape."

"All right," Malfoy agreed reluctantly.

"And you two can go ahead of me and show me the way," Umbridge said, pointing her wand towards Hermione and Harry. "Lead on…"

And she marched them out of the room, leaving Liza, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna behind in the captivity of the Inquisitorial Squad.

**~LJ:NK~**

A few minutes after Umbridge had left, the Slytherins had pushed their prisoners together into a corner and were now murmuring to one another. As far as Liza could tell, they seemed disappointed that Umbridge hadn't allowed at least one of them to go with her.

Liza glanced out the window of the office and her eyes went wide. Hermione was guiding Harry and Umbridge towards the forest. Liza looked over and caught Ginny's eye. She gestured towards the window so Ginny would look outside, too.

Twenty minutes went by before anything else happened. Liza still wasn't sure what they were going to do when she looked over at Ginny again. Ginny looked back at her and slowly winked. Liza frowned then looked down to see that Ginny had managed to undo the ropes around her wrists.

Ginny pushed herself to her feet, spitting her gag out.

"Hey—!" one of the Slytherins shouted, but Ginny was quicker. She snatched the wand out of his limp hand and pointed it at him, sending a Stunner towards him.

"Turn around!" Ginny shouted at Neville, Ron, Liza, and Luna. They all did as they were told, and Ginny quickly cut their bonds. The rest of them pulled the gags out of their mouths as Millicent Bullstrode tackled Ginny, scratching at the Gryffindor's face.

"No!" Liza cried. She picked up an ink bottle from Umbridge's desk and threw it at the Slytherin. Ginny was able to roll away.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Ginny shouted, pointing the wand at Malfoy, who had the captives' wands. Ginny, Neville, Ron, Liza, and Luna picked up their own wands and started to send spells towards the Inquisitorial Squad.

After a few minutes, the Slytherins were either lying unconscious or had fled from the room. Liza gingerly touched her lip, which was quite tender. She looked around at Neville, Ron, and Ginny, all of whom were sporting small injuries as well. Luna was the only one who looked unscathed.

"Now what?" Ron asked.

"Why were they going into the forest?" Liza asked, frowning. "There is no weapon, so what on earth is Hermione doing?"

"Who went into the forest?" Neville asked, looking out the window but not seeing anything.

"Liza and I saw Hermione and Harry leading Umbridge into the forest," Ginny explained. "That was nearly half an hour ago, though."

"We should follow them," Ron said immediately. He looked around at the others. "I mean, I'm going to follow them."

"Me, too," Liza agreed. She picked up two wands from the floor that she knew to be Harry's and Hermione's.

"We're coming, too," Ginny said determinedly. Neville and Luna agreed as well, although they didn't say anything.

"Let's go, then," Liza said. "No running, though, we don't want to look too suspicious."

They set off through the castle, trying hard to look nonchalant, and soon found themselves crossing the grounds.

"What do we do now?" Ginny spoke up as they neared the forest. "There's no way we can just wander around that forest until we find them."

"Maybe we should wait out here?" Neville suggested, sounding anxious.

"Well, I don't think we should just stand out here," Liza said thoughtfully. "If anyone sees us, they're going to wonder what we're doing. We should at least go in a little ways, so nobody will be able to see us from the castle." She led the way into the forest.

After walking for a few minutes, they stopped, unsure of what to do next.

"Hopefully they'll come back this way," Liza said. "This is the main path, after all."

"Where do you reckon they went?" Ron asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Liza answered. "Hermione was walking very determinedly, though, so she must have had some kind of plan…"

The five students stood in silence for a little while when they heard something crunching through the forest nearby.

"What's that?" Neville squeaked, obviously nervous.

"Let's check," Ron said, and he and Liza led the other three towards the source of the noise. Then they heard a voice.

"Well, we can't do anything without wands. Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?"

"Yeah, we were just wondering that," Ron said, stepping forward to reveal himself to Harry and Hermione, who wheeled around in surprise.

"So, had any ideas?" Liza asked, handing Harry and Hermione their wands.

"How did you get away?" Harry asked in awe, taking in the small group before him.

"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," Ron explained. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy—Bat-Bogey Hex—it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, Liza saw you heading into the forest out of the window, and we decided to follow you. What've you done with Umbridge?"

"She got carried away," Harry said. "By a herd of centaurs."

"And they left you behind?" Ginny asked.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," Harry answered.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked.

"Hagrid's little brother," Liza said, shaking her head a bit. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has Voldemort got Sirius or—?"

"Yes," Harry said firmly, "and I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him." There was a moment of silence.

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" Luna questioned as though it were obvious.

"Okay, first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that," Harry began, "and second of all, Ron's the only one with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll, so—"

"I've got a broom!" Ginny interrupted.

"Yeah, but you're not coming," Ron said.

"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" Ginny snapped.

"You're too—" Harry started.

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Sorcerer's Stone," Ginny cut him off, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in castle with giant flying bogeys attacking him—"

"Yeah, but—" Harry tried again.

"We were all in the D.A. together," Neville spoke up. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real—or was that all just a game or something?"

"No—of course it wasn't—" Harry insisted, looking frustrated. Liza crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm sick of your attitude, Harry," she said. "If they want to come then let them come."

"We want to help," Neville said.

"That's right," Luna added brightly. Harry and Ron exchanged a look, and Liza scowled.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," Harry said, "because we still don't know how to get there—"

"I thought we'd settled that?" Luna said. "We're flying!"

"Look, you might be able to fly without a broomstick," Ron growled, "but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we—"

"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," Luna pointed out.

"I s'pose we're goin to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron grumbled.

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," Luna said, "but _they_ can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for." She nodded to something behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but when Liza looked over she couldn't see anything.

"What's '_they,_' Luna?" she asked.

"Yes!" Harry breathed, looking at where Luna had gestured. He walked over and stuck his hand out, petting thin air.

"Is it those mad horse things?" Ron asked. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"How many?" Hermione asked.

"Just two," Harry replied.

"Well, we need four," Hermione said.

"Five, Hermione," Ginny countered.

"I think there are seven of us, actually," Luna said.

"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" Harry insisted. "Look, you three," he pointed between Ginny, Neville, and Luna, "you're not involved in this, you're not—"

Ginny, Neville, and Luna broke out into more protests.

"Enough!" Liza shouted, fed up with the arguing. "Harry, there's no point in telling them they can't come with us. They want to help; maybe we don't have to do this all on our own this time." Harry looked at her for a moment before sighing and rubbing a hand over his scar.

"Okay, fine, it's their choice," he agreed. "But unless we can find more thestrals you're not going to be able—"

"Oh, more of them will come," Ginny said.

"What makes you think that?" Harry asked.

"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you and Hermione are both covered in blood," she replied, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place…"

"Okay, then," Harry said. "Ron and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you four and she'll attract more thestrals—"

"I'm not staying behind!" Hermione said indignantly.

"We'll all wait for some more thestrals to show up," Liza added firmly.

"Look, here come more now..." Luna said. "You two must really smell…" Harry let out another sigh, looking at what must have been a group of thestrals approaching.

"All right," he said, "pick one and get on, then."

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: I ended up adding what would have been the next chapter to the end of this one. If I hadn't, the next chapter would have only been about 1,500 words! Which is too short for me. So now there are only 4 chapters left.**_


	28. Chapter 28 What He's Been Dreaming Of

_**A/N: This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, but it ended with such a nice cliffhanger in the book that I decided to cut mine off there as well.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 28 – What He's Been Dreaming Of**

Harry, Neville, and Luna each mounted a thestral with ease. They looked around at Liza, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny, who were still on the ground, gaping at the other three.

"What?" Harry asked them.

"How're we supposed to get on?" Ron asked. "When we can't see the things?"

"Oh it's easy," Luna said. She jumped off of her invisible mount and hurried over to the four who couldn't see the thestrals. "Come here…"

Luna guided each one of them to a thestral and helped all of them up. Liza gripped at the mane of the creature she couldn't see, a bit of panic building up in her chest.

"This is mad," Ron said shakily. "Mad…if I could just see it—"

"You'd better hope it stays invisible," Harry said sharply. "We all ready, then?"

Liza nodded along with the others. She tightened her knees around the thestral and made sure she was gripping its mane. Then she leaned forward and whispered towards what she hoped was the thestral's ear.

"Please be careful, Mr. Thestral," she said. "I can't see you, so don't do anything too crazy…"

"Okay…" Harry said. Then he looked at what Liza guessed was his thestral and said, "Ministry of Magic, visitors' entrance, London, then. Er…if you know…where to go…"

Nothing happened for a moment. Then Liza felt the thestral move underneath her, and soon she was rising into the air. She squeaked and held so hard onto the mane that her knuckles turned white.

The thestrals rose above the trees of the forest and shot away from the castle. They were going fast, much faster than Liza remembered flying on a broomstick. The wind rushing past her face made it difficult for her to keep her eyes open. She bent low, trying to shield her face behind the thestral's neck.

They continued onward, over Hogsmeade and other various villages. The sun was setting quickly, making it harder to see where they were going.

"This is bizarre!" Ron shouted. Liza glanced down and immediately regretted her decision. Since her steed was invisible, all she could see when she looked down was what they were flying over.

As the sun set, the wind grew colder, and Liza's face grew numb. Her knees ached from gripping the invisible thestral, although she didn't dare loosen her hold. She couldn't tell how far they had flown, but she hoped that they would reach London soon…

Then, suddenly, Liza's weight slid forward as the thestral shifted positions. A short scream fell from her throat as she found herself pointing towards the ground.

There were lights growing nearer as they descended. Looking around, Liza could see buildings and cars on streets below. The ground was rushing towards her rather quickly, and she was sure that she was going to crash. However, the thestral landed softly on the pavement, and Liza shakily slid from its back. She looked around, seeing that Harry, Neville, and Luna had already dismounted as well. Hermione and Ginny also slid off their thestrals, looking windswept and happy to be back on the ground.

"Never again," Ron said, picking himself off the ground. He had fallen off his thestral. He took a few steps forward, ran into something that must have been his thestral, and staggered off in a different direction. "Never, ever again…that was the worst—" Everyone looked around at Harry.

"Where do we go from here, then?" Luna asked. She was the only one who looked cheerful.

"Over here," Harry said, stepping over to a phone booth on the sidewalk nearby. Liza and the others watched warily as he opened the door and looked expectantly at them. "Come _on_!" he insisted.

Ron and Ginny went in first, and Liza followed. Hermione, Neville, and Luna pushed their way in next, and Harry squeezed in last.

"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" he commanded. Ron reached over awkwardly and dialed the numbers. After he'd inputted the last 'two', a voice spoke.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic," a woman's voice stated. "Please state your name and business."

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Liza Jones," Harry said, "Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood… We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," the female voice said. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." There was a clunking noise, and a handful of badges appeared in a chute below the phone. Liza scooped them out and handed them over to Harry, who took them.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium," the female voice said.

"Fine!" Harry said. "Now can we _move_?"

The entire telephone booth quivered, and Liza's heart leapt in alarm. Then it slowly sank into the ground. There was a low grinding noise as the box descended, and there was darkness all around them. After a few minutes of pitch black, a light from below the booth appeared.

Then the box touched down on a floor, and the female voice sounded overhead, "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening."

The door popped open, and Harry, Neville, and Luna fell out of the box. The rest of them piled out as Harry, Neville, and Luna picked themselves up off the floor. Liza pulled her wand out of her pocket, gripping it tightly. Her companions did the same.

"Where are we?" Liza asked in a quiet voice.

"The Ministry of Magic," Ron answered as though the answer was obvious.

"Well, yes, I knew that much," Liza said, rolling her eyes. "I meant, what is this room specifically?"

"This is the Atrium," Harry replied. "But come on, we need to get to the Department of Mysteries." He led the way through a hallway lined with fireplaces and past a large fountain. Liza paused to look at the statues spouting water into the fountain. There was a witch and a wizard, both with wands held aloft, a centaur with a bow and arrow, a goblin, and a house-elf.

"Liza, come _on_," Harry whispered sharply.

"Sorry," Liza hissed back. "I've never been to the Ministry before."

They continued on, and they passed through a set of golden gates. In this small room were a bunch of elevators. Harry punched the nearest button, and an elevator appeared immediately. The seven of them hurried inside. Harry hit the button labeled '9', and the elevator gates closed. They descended for a few moments before coming to a halt, and the same female voice from the telephone box said, "Department of Mysteries."

"Let's go," Harry murmured. He took the lead once again, walking down the hall towards a plain black door. They had almost reached it when Harry paused.

"Okay, listen," he began. "Maybe…maybe a couple of people should stay here as a—as a lookout, and—"

"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" Ginny interrupted. "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you," Neville added.

"Now that _that's_ settled for about the fifth time," Liza huffed, "let's get moving."

Harry moved towards the door, and it opened for him. He walked through it, followed by the others.

On the other side of the door, the students found themselves in a circular room. Everything inside was completely black, including the walls and the ceiling. There were many doors all around the room, spaced out with a torch in between each one.

"Someone shut the door," Harry said. Neville did as Harry had asked, shutting out the light from the corridor outside. Harry looked around at the doors, as though trying to determine which one to go through, when there was a loud grinding noise. The circular wall had begun to move.

A few moments later, the wall halted.

"What was that about?" Ron asked nervously.

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," Ginny guessed. She was right; Liza couldn't tell which door was the one they had just come through.

"How're we going to get back out?" Neville questioned.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," Harry said. "We won't need to get out till we've found Sirius—"

"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione insisted. Harry nodded.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Liza asked.

"I don't—" Harry stopped for a second. "In the dreams I went through a door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room—that's this one—and then I went through another door into a room that kind of…glitters. We should try a few doors. I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."

Harry went to the door across from him and pushed it open. He marched in, leading the rest inside the room.

It was a large, rectangular room that was much better lit than the one they had just been in. Along the walls were a few empty desks. In the middle of the room, there was a large tank that was full of water with some white objects floating inside.

"What're those things?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," Harry answered.

"Are they fish?" Ginny questioned.

"Aquavirius maggots!" Luna exclaimed. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding—"

"No," Hermione said. She took a few steps towards the tank and peered into it. "They're brains."

"_Brains_?" Neville repeated.

"Yes…I wonder what they're doing with them?" Hermione murmured. Liza and Harry moved closer to the tank, as well, but the other four stayed back by the door.

"Let's get out of here," Harry said after a minute. "This isn't right, we need to try another door—"

"There are doors here too," Ron pointed out, gesturing to the walls.

"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one," Harry said. "I think we should go back and try from there."

So they trooped back out into the circular room with all the doors. Luna made to shut the door, but Hermione stopped her.

"Wait!" she said. She lifted her wand a waved it towards the door. "_Flagrate_!" A jet of fire came out of her wand, making an 'X' on the door. Then Luna shut it, and as soon as it was closed, the walls of the room rotated once more. When the walls stopped, the 'X' was still on the door they had already been through.

"Good thinking," Harry said to Hermione. "Okay, let's try this one—" He picked another door and pushed it open.

This room was also rectangular, but it was much larger than the brain room. The center was sunken into the floor, forming a stone pit. There were benches descending like steps all the way to the center of the room. There was a stone dais raised on a platform in the middle of the room, and on the dais was a stone archway with a veil hanging in it. The veil was fluttering slightly, as though there was a breeze, although the air in the room was still.

"Who's there?" Harry called, stepping onto the bench below the rest of them. There was no answer.

"Careful!" Hermione said. Harry continued down to the archway, hopping down the benches until he reached the stone floor. Liza quickly followed him, along with the others.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, looking up at the veil. He edged up to the dais and looked around the archway.

"I don't think there's anyone in here, Harry," Liza said.

"Let's go," Hermione said. She was still halfway up the steps, and she sounded scared. "This isn't right, Harry, come on, let's go…" Harry continued to stare at the veil, and Hermione added, "Harry, let's go, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed, but he didn't move. He frowned, concentrating hard on something. "What are you saying?" he asked towards the veil. Liza exchanged confused looks with Neville, who was standing nearby.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" Hermione insisted shrilly.

"Someone's whispering behind there," Harry said. "Is that you, Ron?"

"I'm here, mate," Ron said, walking over to stand next to Liza and Neville.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry asked. He put one foot on the dais, and Liza grabbed his arm to stop him from getting too close to the veil.

"I can hear them too," Luna said, joining them as well. "There are people _in there_!"

"What do you mean, '_in there_'?" Hermione asked, finally reaching the stone floor. "There isn't any '_in there_,' it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there—Harry, stop it, come away—" She tried to pull Harry away, but he wouldn't let her, so she added, "Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!"

That seemed to snap Harry out of his haze, and he muttered, "Sirius. Yeah…" He jerked backwards from the veil and looked away.

"Let's go," he said.

"That's what I've been trying to—well, come on, then!" Hermione urged. They all scrambled back up the stone steps to the door through which they'd entered the room.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she replied, sounding very sure of herself. She raised her wand and conjured another red 'X' for the door.

When the door was shut, the walls in the circular room spun once again. When it stopped, Harry went to a new door and attempted to open it, but it would not budge.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" Ron said. He hurried over to try and help Harry get the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Get out of the way!" Hermione sighed. She pointed her wand at the door and said, "_Alohomora_!" But nothing happened.

"Sirius's knife!" Harry exclaimed. He pulled the knife from a pocket in his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. He ran it between the top and bottom of the door, pulled it out, and then pushed against the door again. However, it didn't move, and Harry held up Sirius's knife to see that it had melted.

"Right, we're leaving that room," Hermione concluded.

"But what if that's the one?" Ron said.

"It can't be, Harry could get through all the doors in his dream," Hermione explained. Harry put the handle of the knife back into his pocket.

"You know what could be in there?" Luna asked as Hermione drew another 'X' on the door that wouldn't open. Hermione muttered something under her breath, causing Neville to giggle. Nobody else bothered to answer Luna.

The circular wall shuddered and rotated once more. Then Harry picked another door, pushed it open, and gasped.

"_This is it_!" he whispered hoarsely.

The room was full of clocks. There were all kinds of them, hanging from the ceiling and sitting on shelves and desks. At the end of the room, a glittering light was coming from a large crystal jar.

"This way!" Harry said. He led the way through the room, looking excited. They neared the crystal jar at the end of the room, noticing that there was something inside of it.

"Oh _look_!" Ginny gasped, pointing at it. Inside was a tiny egg floating in a sparkling wind. The wind pushed the egg up towards the top of the jar. As it rose, the egg cracked, and a hummingbird crawled out of it. Then, the bird began to drop slowly towards the bottom of the jar, and it retreated back into the egg.

"Keep going!" Harry said.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" Ginny insisted, but she followed the rest of them. There was a single door behind the jar.

"This is it," Harry whispered. "It's through here—" He looked over his shoulder at his friends. Then he turned back to the door and pushed it open.

It was a large room with a very high ceiling. There were many shelves that were almost as high as the ceiling, and on the shelves were many small, glistening glass orbs.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," Hermione said quietly.

"Yeah," Harry answered. He looked up at the shelves nearest them to read which row number it was.

"We need to go right, I think," Hermione murmured. "Yes…that's fifty-four…"

"Keep your wands out," Harry added.

They made their way down the rows, passing the many shelves with the orbs. Some of the orbs were letting off strong light; others were dull, as though the light that had been in them was now burnt out.

"Ninety-seven!" Hermione eventually breathed. They stopped, looking down the row between the shelves. There was nobody to be seen.

"He's right down at the end," Harry said. "You can't see properly from here…" They tiptoed down the row.

"He should be near here," Harry reported. "Anywhere here…really close…"

"Harry?" Hermione asked, but Harry didn't look at her.

"Somewhere about…here…" he muttered.

They reached the end of the row. Sirius was nowhere to be found. There was only silence.

"He might be…" Harry said, moving over to the next row. "Or maybe…" He looked down the one after that.

"Harry?" Liza called.

"What?" Harry growled. Liza crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't think Sirius is here," she said. Harry didn't turn around to look at any of them. Liza and Hermione glanced at one another, sharing the same concern. Then Harry jogged down past the rows, looking around for any sign of Sirius. He turned and jogged back the other way, past his friends, still frantically searching.

"Harry?" Ron spoke up.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Have you seen this?" Ron said.

"What?" Harry repeated. He hurried back to where Ron was standing in the middle of row ninety-seven. Ron was staring at one of the orbs on the shelf.

"What?" Harry echoed once more.

"It's—it's got your name on it," Ron said, sounding confused. He pointed at the orb he had been staring at, and Harry moved forward for a closer look.

"My name?" Harry questioned. He looked closely at the label on the orb and read aloud, "_S.P.T. to A.P.W.D.B. Dark Lord and Harry Potter._"

"What is it?" Liza asked as Ron and Harry continued to stare at the shelf. "What's your name doing down here?" Harry looked at the other orbs nearby.

"I'm not here," he said. "None of the rest of us are here…" He reached out to pick up the orb.

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," Hermione said.

"Why not?" Harry asked. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," Neville insisted.

"It's got my name on it," Harry stated. Then he plucked the orb from its resting place on the shelf. He stared at it for a few moments, but nothing seemed to happen. The rest of them moved closer to see the orb.

"Harry?" Liza asked slowly. Harry wiped the orb on his robes, clearing the dust off.

"Very good, Potter," a voice said from behind them. "Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: Three chapters left. The next one is going to be action packed! And also a bit sad.**_


	29. Chapter 29 Fight At the Ministry

_**A/N: This chapter ended up not being as long as I was afraid it was going to be. I guess that's a good thing.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 29 – Fight At the Ministry**

Figures cloaked in all black were appearing all around them. There were at least a dozen of them. They were all wearing hoods and masks; Death Eaters. Liza and the others were trapped, the Death Eaters pointing their wands directly at the small group.

"To me, Potter," the voice repeated. Liza recognized it; it was Lucius Malfoy. He stepped forward, his hand outstretched towards Harry. "To me," he said once more.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked. The Death Eaters laughed around them.

"The Dark Lord always knows!" a female voice cackled.

"Always," Malfoy agreed. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter." _Prophecy_? Liza thought.

"I want to know where Sirius is!" Harry insisted.

"_I want to know where Sirius is_!" a different woman mimicked. The Death Eaters were slowly closing in on them.

"You've got him," Harry said. "He's here. I know he is."

"_The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo_," the second woman said in a fake-baby voice. Ron shifted.

"Don't do anything," Harry said. "Not yet—"

"You hear him? _You hear him_?" the second woman laughed. "Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," Malfoy said. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. _Now give me the prophecy, Potter_." Liza's heartbeat increased, realizing that Malfoy had called the second woman Bellatrix; she had to be Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had tortured Neville's parents.

"I know Sirius is here," Harry said. "_I know you've got him_!" The Death Eaters laughed again, but none more than Bellatrix Lestrange.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter," Malfoy said. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," Harry said, raising his own wand. Liza raised hers as well, and so did her other friends.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," Malfoy said. Harry let out a laugh.

"Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this—prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

"_Accio Proph_—" Bellatrix shrieked, but Harry shouted, "_Protego_!" The orb remained in Harry's hand.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," Bellatrix said. "Very well, then—"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Malfoy shouted at her. "If you smash it—!" Bellatrix stepped forward, pulling her mask off and lowering her hood.

"You need more persuasion?" she asked. "Very well—take the smallest one. Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

"You won't touch her!" Liza snarled instinctually, pushing Ginny behind Harry, who had stepped sideways to shield her.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he said, holding up the prophecy. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?" Bellatrix stared angrily at him, and he continued, "So, what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?"

"What kind of prophecy?" Bellatrix asked. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," Harry said. "How come Voldemort wants it?" The Death Eaters all let out noises of anger.

"You dare speak his name?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered hotly. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol—"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shouted. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with you half-blood's tongue, you dare—"

"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" Harry taunted. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle—or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"

"_STUPEF_—" Bellatrix started.

"_NO_!" Malfoy yelled. He deflected Bellatrix's Stunner, sending it into a shelf to the students' left. A few orbs fells from the shelves and shattered onto the floor. Ghostly figures floated out of the orbs and faded away, murmuring something that could not be heard over Bellatrix and Malfoy arguing.

"DO NOT ATTACK!" Malfoy spat. "WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared—he dares—" Bellatrix screamed. "—He stands there—filthy half-blood—"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" Malfoy snapped. There was a moment of silence while Bellatrix attempted to get a hold of herself.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," Harry said.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," Malfoy warned.

"I'm not playing games," Harry said.

"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" Malfoy asked.

"I—what?" Harry said. "What about my scar?"

"Can this be?" Malfoy said, sounding delighted. Some of the Death Eaters chuckled darkly. "Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy continued. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording…"

Liza felt Hermione pull on the sleeve of her robes.

"Get ready to smash the shelves when Harry says so," Hermione breathed into Liza's ear. Liza nodded once, glad that someone had come up with an idea to get out of there.

"Did he?" Harry asked. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

"_Why_?" Malfoy repeated. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom is was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?" Harry asked.

"About both of you, Potter, about both of you," Malfoy said impatiently. "Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" Harry wondered aloud. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

"Get it himself?" Bellatrix echoed incredulously. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"

"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him, as he?" Harry guessed. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it—and Bode?"

"Very good, Potter, very good…" Malfoy said. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell—"

"NOW!" Harry shouted suddenly.

"_REDUCTO_!" Liza shouted, pointing her wand to one of the shelves, along with Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. The shelves exploded, sending orbs and splintered bits of wood crashing to the ground.

"RUN!" Harry instructed.

"Neville, come on!" Liza shouted, grabbing his robes and pulling him along with her. They ran down the row, sending a few Stunners towards the remaining Death Eaters that they could see. Skidding to a stop, they found themselves at the opposite end of the row.

"This way!" Hermione called from ahead of them. Neville and Liza sprinted after Hermione, who was following Harry. They found the door to the room with the clocks in it. Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Liza ran full speed into the room, and Harry slammed the door behind them.

"_Colloportus_!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing her wand at the door.

"Where—where are the others?" Liza asked, looking around for Ron, Ginny, and Luna.

"I thought they were ahead of us," Harry said, looking around the room.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" Hermione moaned.

"Listen!" Neville hissed. They could hear footsteps and shouting from the other side of the door. Harry and Liza pressed their ears up against it.

"Leave Nott," Malfoy was commanded, "_leave him, I say,_ the Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy—Jugson, come back here, we need to organize! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary—Jugons, Dolohov, the door straight ahead—Macnair and Avery, through here—Rookwood, over there—Mulciber, come with me!"

"What do we do?" Hermione asked hoarsely.

"Well, we don't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," Harry said. "Let's get away from this door…"

They ran down the room towards the door that would lead them back to the circular room. However, before they could reach it, they heard a smashing sound against the door through which they had just entered the room.

"Stand aside!" a loud voice shouted. "_Alohomora_!"

Liza felt someone tackling her and pulling her under a desk. Neville whispered, "Sorry, sorry…" but Liza didn't mind. They tried to calm their breathing, hoping that the Death Eaters wouldn't find them.

"They might've run straight through to the hall," one voice said.

"Check under the desks," the other one commanded.

"_STUPEFY_!" Liza heard Harry shout. She and Neville poked their heads over the top of the desk they were hiding under, and saw Hermione scrambling out from under her own. One Death Eater was still standing in front of them.

"_Avada_—" he began to shout, but Harry flew at him, tackling him to the ground. Neville shot up, pointing his wand towards Harry and the Death Eater, and yelled, "_EXPELLIARMUS_!" Hermione and Liza ran forward.

Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands. They ran after the wands. Neville hurried forward, as well.

"Get out of the way, Harry!" he said. Harry veered to one side, giving Neville a clear shot, and he bellowed, "_STUPEFY_!"

The red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and smashed into a glass cabinet against the wall. The cabinet shattered, sending hourglasses of all shapes falling to the ground. Then, suddenly, the cabinet fixed itself before shattering once again…

The Death Eater had reached his wand, which had fallen to the floor next to the crystal jar with the bird in it. He tore his mask off and leveled his wand at Harry's chest. "_STUP—"_

"_STUPEFY!_" Hermione cried, hitting the Death Eater before he could finish his spell. He fell backwards into the jar and, instead of smashing the crystal to pieces, his head went right through.

"_Accio wand_!" Liza said. Harry's wand soared through the air to Liza, and she tossed it over to Harry.

"Thanks," he said, "right, let's get out of—"

"Look out!" Neville squeaked, pointing at the Death Eater with the jar on his head. Liza pointed her wand at the Death Eater but stopped when she saw what was happening to his head.

Inside the jar, the man's head was rapidly turning into a baby's head. Then, as Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Liza watched, his head grew back into his usual head.

"It's time," Hermione gasped. "_Time_…" Meanwhile, the Death Eater's head began to shrink back into a baby head again.

Suddenly, they heard a shout from nearby. There was a loud crash, and then there was a scream.

"RON?" Harry shouted. "GINNY? LUNA?"

"Harry!" Hermione cried. Liza turned sharply to see that the Death Eater had gotten the jar off of his head, but instead of his own head, he still had the baby head. He was wailing loudly, flailing his normal-sized arms like a baby would. Harry raised his wand, but Hermione grabbed his arm.

"You can't hurt a baby!" she scolded.

There were footsteps coming from the prophecy room. Harry groaned, realizing that his shouting had given away their position.

"Come on!" he said to the others. They ran back towards the door that would lead them to the circular room, but again, before they could make it, two Death Eaters had entered from the prophecy room.

"This way!" Harry shouted. They ran into what seemed like an office and threw the door shut behind them.

"_Collo_—" Hermione began, but the door burst open before she had time to complete the spell.

"_IMPEDIMENTA_!" both Death Eaters shouted. Liza felt herself lifted off her feet. Her back smashed into the stone wall behind the desk, and she fell to the floor. She saw a burst of stars and quickly shook her head.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!" one of the Death Eaters yelled. "IN AN OFFICE OFF—" Liza jumped up and shouted, "_Silencio_!" The Death Eater was silenced, and he put his hand to his throat. The other Death Eater pushed him out of the way.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" Harry cried. The second Death Eater fell over, his arms and legs glued to his sides. Hermione, who had just struggled to her feet from under a pile of books, glanced at Harry.

"Well done," she said. But before she could say anything else, the first Death Eater slashed his wand through the air at her. Purple flame streaked across her chest. She let out a small gasp and fell to the floor, where she laid unmoving.

"HERMIONE!" Harry and Liza yelled, anguished. Harry fell to Hermione's side as Neville dashed out from behind the desk. The Death Eater kicked out at Neville, snapping his wand in two and hitting the boy square in the face. Neville rolled to the side, holding his nose in one hand.

"_NO_!" Liza shrieked. She ran at the man, waving her wand as a series of spells fell from her mouth. The Death Eater managed to block a Disarming Charm and a Stunner, but her Impediment Jinx got through. Then Harry whipped his wand at the Death Eater and cried, "_PETRIFICUS TOTALUS_!"

Liza stood over the Death Eater, breathing hard and glaring down at him for a few moments before hurrying over to Neville.

"You all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Neville replied. There was blood gushing from his face.

"Stay still," Liza said. "I've never actually performed this spell on anyone so I'm sorry if it doesn't help…" She waved her wand and muttered a blood-clotting spell. Neville's nose slowly stopped bleeding so rapidly, but it didn't stop completely. Then they turned to Harry, who was shaking Hermione by the shoulders.

"Hermione," he muttered. "Hermione, wake up…"

"Whaddid he do to her?" Neville asked, having a hard time speaking through his broken nose.

"I dunno…" Harry said, looking very upset. Neville dropped down next to him and picked up Hermione's wrist.

"Dat's a pulse, Harry, I'b sure id is…" he assured Harry.

"She's alive?" Harry asked, relief washing over his face.

"Yeah, I dink so…" Neville answered. There was a moment of silence.

"Listen, we're not far from the exit," Harry said quietly. "We're right next to that circular room… If we can just get across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you two can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift… Then you could find someone… Raise the alarm…"

"And what are you going to do?" Liza demanded.

"I've got to find the others," Harry replied.

"I can help you do that," Liza scowled.

"Yeah, I'b going do find dem wid you," Neville added.

"But Hermione—" Harry started.

"We'll take her wid us," Neville said. "I'll carry her—you dwo'r bedder at fighding dan I ab—" He stood up and began to pull Hermione onto his back. Harry and Liza hurried to help him.

"Wait," Harry said. He picked up Hermione's wand and handed it to Neville. "You'd better take this…"

"My gran's going do kill be," Neville said, holding Hermione's wand tight in his hand, "dat was by dad's old wand…"

Harry looked out of the office to see if there was anyone around. The only person still in the room was the Death Eater with the baby head.

"He's never going to notice us," Harry reasoned. "C'mon…keep close behind me…" Harry left the office first, followed by Neville. Liza took up the rear, looking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure they couldn't be snuck up on.

Harry pulled the door to the circular room open, and Neville and Liza followed him inside. They shut the door, and the walls started to revolve again. Liza closed her eyes, not wanting to get dizzy. When she opened them, the wall had come to a stop. She noticed that Hermione's 'X's had disappeared.

"So which why d'you reck—?" Harry began. He stopped suddenly as one of the doors opened. Three people fell into the circular room.

"Ron! Ginny!" Liza shouted. "Are you all—?" She stopped suddenly when she saw that Ron was giggling and acting unlike himself.

"Harry," Ron said, grabbing onto Harry's robes. His eyes were unfocused, and something dark was trailing from the corner of his mouth. "There you are… Ha ha ha… You look funny, Harry… You're all messed up…" He collapsed onto the floor, pulling Harry into an awkward bow.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, turning to the other Weasley. "What happened?"

Ginny shook her head, sitting down and holding her ankle in both hands.

"I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack," Luna explained. She looked unhurt but definitely unsettled. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark—"

"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron giggled. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus—ha ha ha—" Liza looked fearfully at him.

"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reducto Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…" Luna looked sadly at Ginny, whose face was screwed up in pain.

"And what about Ron?" Liza asked.

"I don't know what they hit him with," Luna reported, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all…"

"We've got to get out of here," Harry said. "Luna, can you help Ginny?"

"Yes," Luna replied. She helped Ginny into a standing position, and Ginny pushed her away.

"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" she insisted. But she swayed dangerously and grabbed Luna again for support.

"Liza, help me with Ron," Harry said. Liza nodded, and she and Harry stood on either side of Ron, lifting his arms over their shoulders. Harry looked around at the doors for a moment before choosing one. He was just about to open it and a different door burst open.

"_There they are_!" Bellatrix Lestrange shouted. She was leading two other Death Eaters into the circular room. Liza immediately dropped Ron's arm, held her wand out, and yelled, "_Protego_!" She heard Harry push the door open, and she could hear her friends scrambling into the next room. Then there was a tug on her robes from behind, and Harry had pulled her backwards through the door. He slammed it shut, pointed his wand at it, and shouted, "_Colloportus_!"

"Nice thinking with the Shield Charm," Harry said in a low voice to Liza.

"It doesn't matter!" a male voice from the other side of the door said. "There are other ways in—WE'VE GOT THEM, THEY'RE IN HERE!"

"Luna—Neville—Liza—help me!" Harry shouted. The four of them ran around the room, sealing the doors.

"_Collo—aaaaargh_…" Luna screamed. She had been just about to bewitch a door when it had crashed open. Luna flew through the air, slammed into a desk, and fell onto the floor.

"Get Potter!" Bellatrix screeched, running towards Harry. Harry dodged around her and flew back the other direction. Liza grabbed Neville and pulled him down behind a desk near where Ginny was sitting on the floor. She wasn't paying attention to anything other than sending Stunners towards the Death Eaters, but then she heard Ron say something.

"_Accio Brain_!" Liza looked at the brain tank, watching as a brain floated into the air. Then it flew over to Ron, who reached out to it.

"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it—" Ron said. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird—"

"RON, NO!" Harry shouted. But it was too late. Ron had already caught the brain. Tentacles began to wind their way around Ron's arms.

"Harry, look what's happen—no—no, I don't like it—no, stop—_stop_—" The tentacles were wrapping around his chest and slowing moving up towards his neck and face.

"_Diffindo_!" Harry shouted. It did nothing, and Ron fell over, fighting against the brain.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" Ginny cried. But before she could do or say anything else, a jet of red light caught her in the face, and she fell over, unconscious.

"_STUPEFY!_" Liza yelled over and over again, while Neville next to her was yelling, "_STUBEFY_!"

"Liza!" Harry shouted, holding the prophecy aloft in his hand. Liza looked and him, nodded once, and the two of them streaked away from the others. The Death Eaters ran after them, and they continued to send Stunners and Shield Charms behind them.

"Here!" Harry cried breathlessly. He had reached a door and wrenched it open. He and Liza sprinted into the room and then fell, toppling down stone steps. Liza was able to briefly acknowledge that they had made it back to the room with the veiled archway before she had come to a hard stop on the stone floor below.

There were Death Eaters everywhere, all laughing.

"You all right?" Harry murmured to Liza.

"I'm in one piece still," Liza replied. They slowly got to their feet, moving backwards as the Death Eaters closed in around them. They reached the stone platform and hopped up onto it. The Death Eaters stopped. One of them stepped forward and pulled off his mask: Lucius Malfoy.

"Potter, your race is run," he said. "Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy…"

"Let—let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" Harry said.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," Malfoy sneered. "You see, there are ten of us and only two of you…or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"They're dot alone!" a voice shouted from above. "They've still god be!" Liza saw Neville jumping down the stone steps, Hermione's wand held tightly in his hand.

"Neville—no—go back to Ron—" Harry tried to tell him desperately.

"_STUBEFY!_" Neville shouted, ignoring Harry. "_STUBEFY! STUBE—_" One of the large Death Eaters grabbed Neville, holding his arms against his torso. Neville kicked at the Death Eater, but it was no use.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" Malfoy asked. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause… Your death will not come as a great shock…"

"You leave him alone!" Liza shouted.

"Longbottom?" Bellatrix asked curiously. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy…"

"I DOE YOU HAB!" Neville shouted. He struggled hard in the Death Eater's grip.

"Someone Stun him!" the Death Eater said impatiently.

"No, no, no," Bellatrix said. She moved closer to Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents… Unless Potter want to give us the prophecy—"

"DON'D GIB ID DO DEM!" Neville screamed. "DON'D GIB ID DO DEM, HARRY!" Bellatrix pointed her wand at him

"_Crucio_!" she shouted with a mixture of malice and glee.

"NO!" Liza cried, watching as Neville screamed and thrashed in agony. The Death Eater holding him dropped him at once.

"That was just a taster!" Bellatrix whooped, lowering her wand so that the curse was lifted. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"

Harry immediately held the prophecy out. Malfoy stepped forward, and he was just about to take it when they heard doors opening.

Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley charged into the room, their wands at the ready. Tonks sent a Stunner straight into Malfoy's face, and Harry and Liza dived off of the platform for cover. The Death Eaters and the members of the Order turned to each other.

"Neville!" Liza cried, watching as Neville feebly tried to reach them. She and Harry crawled over to him, staying low to avoid the curses flying over their heads.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked when they reached the other boy.

"Yes," Neville answered.

"And Ron?" Liza asked.

"I dink he's all right—he was still fighding the brain when I left—" Neville replied.

"Look out!" Harry shouted. Neville and Liza rolled one way, and Harry rolled the other; where they had been crouched just seconds before, there was now a crater in the floor.

"All right?" Liza asked Neville, who nodded. Then, looking up, Liza gasped. A Death Eater and grabbed Harry and was holding him up off the ground.

Liza and Neville barreled forward, knocking into the man so he loosened his grip on Harry. Neville poked the Death Eater hard in the eye with Hermione's wand, and the man let out a cry of pain. Then Harry turned around and yelled, "_Stupefy_!" The man crumpled to the floor.

"Thanks!" Harry said. He grabbed both Liza and Neville and pulled them away from a group of duelers. Then Harry tripped on something and fell over into Neville, knocking them both over. Liza dove away from them as a Death Eater lurched after them.

"_Tarantallegra_!" he shouted, pointing his wand at Neville. Neville's legs began to move uncontrollably. The Death Eater advanced on Harry, and Liza jumped forward and yelled, "_Protego_!" just as the man slashed his wand at Harry.

The Death Eater turned towards Liza, his wand held out, but before he could say anything, Sirius had hurtled into him. Liza hurried over to Neville and waved her wand at him, saying, "_Finite_!" Neville's legs stopped jerking at once.

Harry rejoined them, asking, "Can you stand?" Neville and Liza both nodded. Before they could do anything else, another Death Eater—Malfoy—came flying towards them.

"Neville—catch it!" Harry shouted. He threw the prophecy at Neville, pointed his wand at Malfoy, and shouted, "_Impedimenta_!"

"Harry, Liza, round up the others and GO!" Lupin yelled as he ran past them. Neville, Harry, and Liza began to scramble up the stairs, but there were blasts all around them, making it difficult to climb up. One of the steps above them exploded, knocking them all off their feet. The prophecy, which had been in Neville's pocket, fell out. Liza, Harry, and Neville watched in slow motion as the prophecy smashed onto a step below them.

"Harry, I'b sorry!" Neville said, his eyes wide, "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do—"

"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted.

"Come on, we have to get back to the others!" Liza added.

"_Dubbledore_!" Neville gasped suddenly.

"What?" Harry asked.

"DUBBLEDORE!" Neville repeated. Liza and Harry hurried to look where Neville was. Sure enough, Albus Dumbledore had entered the room, his face looking dangerously angry.

The Death Eaters didn't seem to notice that Dumbledore had arrived until he had descended to the bottom of the steps. He waved his wand, rounding up some of the Death Eaters nearest him. Many of the others began to shout, and some of the Death Eaters attempted to get away.

There were only two people left dueling; Sirius and Bellatrix were still going at it. Sirius dodged a jet of light from Bellatrix's wand, laughing.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he said gleefully.

But another jet hit him squarely in the chest. His eyes widened. Liza watched as he fell backwards, toppling right into the veil hanging in the archway.

Bellatrix screamed in delight. Liza felt numb. She saw Harry running down the steps out of the corner of her eye, watched as Lupin caught him as he screamed for his godfather. Lupin was trying to tell him that it was no use, that Sirius was gone…

Her breath was coming out shallowly.

"Liza?" Neville asked. "Are you okay?"

Dumbledore had most of the Death Eaters wrangled together, as though tied up with invisible rope. Lupin hauled Harry over to the stone steps, and Liza and Neville hurried down to meet them.

"Harry…I'b really sorry…" Neville said when they reached him. "Was dat man—was Sirius Black a—a friend of yours?" Harry nodded.

"Let's—let's find the others," Lupin suggested. "Where are they all, Neville?" Liza could see it was taking a lot for Lupin to hold himself together.

"Dey're all back dere," Neville answered. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd—and Herbione's unconscious, bud we could feel a bulse—"

There was a yell from the other side of the dais. Kingsley, who had taken up the duel with Bellatrix, fell backwards onto the ground. Bellatrix turned and ran. Dumbledore threw a spell at her, but she deflected it. She was halfway up the steps when Harry suddenly tore after her.

"Harry—no!" Lupin yelled.

"Harry!" Liza screamed, ready to run after him, but two hands were securely on her arms before she could move.

"SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" Harry shouted. "SHE KILLED HIM—I'LL KILL HER!"

"Harry, no, please—!" Liza cried after him, but it was no use. Tears were already in her eyes, and they finally spilled over, running down her cheeks. "Remus…" she croaked, turning to Lupin. He gathered her in his arms, holding her tightly in a familial embrace.

"Lupin, Kingsley, you know what to do!" Dumbledore thundered. Liza pulled away from Lupin to see him charging back up the stairs. Lupin and Kingsley shared a quick nod.

"Right, the others," Lupin said. "We need to see to them, to make sure they're all right. Can you show me where they are?" He looked between Neville and Liza, who both nodded. They trudged slowly up the steps into the door they had come through, the door that led them to the brain room.

"Neville! Liza!" Ginny exclaimed, having regained consciousness. "What happened?" She and Luna were sitting on the floor next to each other.

"The Order and Dumbledore showed up," Liza said, surprised that she could even speak at all.

"Kingsley and Moody are seeing to the Death Eaters in that room," Lupin explained briskly.

"I saw Harry come running through here, he was chasing after Bellatrix Lestrange—" Ginny said worriedly.

"Dumbledore has gone after them," Lupin assured her. "Everything will be all right. How are all of you?"

"I'm fine, it's just my ankle, I think it's broken," Ginny replied.

"I'm fine now," Luna said. "Just got knocked out for a little while."

"You might have a concussion," Lupin said. "We'll take you all to the hospital wing when you get back to Hogwarts, of course. Ginny, I can bind your ankle so it won't hurt so much…" He waved his wand, wrapping Ginny's ankle with a splint. "Now, what's happened to Ron and Hermione?"

"I don't know what Ron got hit with, but it made him go all funny," Luna said. "He kept giggling and couldn't focus on anything anyone was saying."

"I don't know what they got Hermione with either," Liza said, looking sadly at her friend who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "The man who did it made a slashing motion, and there was a kind of purple flame that went across her chest."

"Well, we'll get you all to the hospital wing, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be able to sort everyone out," Lupin said. "In the meantime, let's get everyone out of here and up to the Atrium. Neville, do you think you can help Hermione?"

"Yes," Neville replied.

"Okay, then Liza, you can help me with Ron," Lupin said. They helped hoist Hermione onto Neville's back, and Lupin and Liza each took one of Ron's arms and put them over their shoulders. Luna helped Ginny stand up.

"This way," Lupin said, leading the way forward. They crossed the room to the door that led them to the circular room. When they shut the door, the wall revolved as always. It came to a shuttering stop.

"How will we know which door to choose?" Ginny asked. Lupin held out his wand and muttered something. Then one of the doors sprung open, revealing the corridor to the elevators. He then led them all to an elevator, and they rode in silence up to the Atrium.

"Ah, Lupin, good," Dumbledore said as they walked across the Atrium. It was a complete mess with debris everywhere.

"What happened?" Lupin asked, his mouth falling open.

"It seems that Voldemort decided to come to the Ministry himself tonight," Dumbledore replied. "He has fled for now, but the Minister was able to get a good look at him before he disappeared. I take it that Kingsley and Moody are still in the Death Chamber?"

"Yes," Lupin said. "Moody thinks that Tonks should be taken to St. Mungo's, but he's sure she'll make a full recovery. What about the rest of the children? I was going to take them to the hospital wing at Hogwarts."

"Yes, that would be best," Dumbledore agreed. "Except Liza. I need to have a word with her. But if you could take the rest of the students to the hospital wing, I would be most grateful." He pulled his wand out and pointed it at a nearby fireplace. Then he pulled a bag out. "You can Floo directly into the hospital wing," Dumbledore said, opening the bag and offering it to Ginny and Luna. "Go in pairs of two. Lupin, you can inform Madam Pomfrey about tonight's incidents."

Luna and Ginny were the first to Floo back to Hogwarts. Neville and Lupin switched partners, and Neville and Ron went next. Lupin put a comforting hand on Liza's shoulders.

"Will you be all right?" he asked. A lump formed in Liza's throat, but she nodded. Lupin also nodded his head once before entering the fireplace, supporting Hermione.

"Hogwarts Hospital Wing!" he announced clearly, and he was gone.

"Well, Liza," Dumbledore said. "There is much that I need to discuss with Harry, and as his twin sister, I think you ought to hear it as well." Liza nodded. "Very well. If you are ready, we will Floo to my office, where Harry is waiting." He dropped a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace, and the flames turned green. He stepped into them, motioning for Liza to follow.

"Head's Office, Hogwarts!" Dumbledore said clearly, and they were spinning away from the Ministry.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: There are two more chapters left, and I actually have a rough version of the next chapter written. However, I'm not going to start working on it now because it is after 1am where I am, and I really need to go to bed. So until next time!**_


	30. Chapter 30 Liza's Biggest Secret

_**A/N: This chapter is a bit short because I didn't want to put in everything that Dumbledore had to say, but it is longer than I originally had it. Also the chapter title might give away what happens at the end, but oh well.**_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**_

**Chapter 30 – Liza's Biggest Secret Revealed**

Liza and Dumbledore finally came to a stop in the fireplace in Dumbledore's office. Liza peered out and saw Harry standing there, waiting for them, looking terribly exhausted.

"Harry!" she cried. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "Oh, thank God you're okay." She felt Harry squeeze her back, but he didn't say anything.

"Liza," Dumbledore called softly. Liza stepped away from Harry and turned to the headmaster. He gestured to a chair next to his desk, and Liza obediently went to it.

"Well, Harry," Dumbledore started, "you will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events." Harry stood very still in the middle of the room, not looking at Dumbledore. "Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up now," Dumbledore continued. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems that she will make a full recovery." This time Harry nodded, at least acknowledging the professor's words. Liza wished she could say something to him, but she couldn't think of anything that would help.

"I know how you are feeling, Harry," Dumbledore almost whispered. This seemed to wake something inside of Harry.

"No, you don't," he said loudly.

"You see, Dumbledore?" one of the portraits above Dumbledore's head grumbled. "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own—"

"That's enough, Phineas," Dumbledore interrupted. Harry had turned his back on Dumbledore and was looking out the window of the office.

"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry," Dumbledore continued. Liza had a sudden urge to tell Dumbledore to leave Harry alone, but she kept her mouth shut. "On the contrary… the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."

"My greatest strength, is it?" Harry asked in a shaky voice. "You haven't got a clue… You don't know…"

"What don't I know?" Dumbledore prompted. Harry turned around, and Liza could see him literally shaking with rage.

"I don't want to talk about how I feel, all right?"

"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human—"

"THEN—I—DON'T—WANT—TO—BE—HUMAN!" Harry thundered. He grabbed one of Dumbledore's instruments off one of the tables and threw it across the room, where it shattered against the wall. Liza jumped with a squeak at the sudden ferociousness that Harry presented.

"I DON'T CARE!" Harry screamed, continuing to throw things. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" Liza's heart constricted for her brother.

"You do care," Dumbledore argued. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."

"I—DON'T!" Harry insisted, his voice at almost an ear-splitting level.

"Oh yes, you do," Dumbledore replied, still as calm as could be. "You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care."

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harry yelled. "YOU—STANDING THERE—YOU—!" He seemed out of breath or out of words. Then he spun around and ran to the door of Dumbledore's office. He pulled on the knob, but the door was locked. He turned to look at Dumbledore over his shoulder.

"Let me out," he said sharply.

"No," Dumbledore said. Harry glared at him for a few beats, then turned a little more towards him.

"Let me out," he demanded again.

"No," Dumbledore refused.

"If you don't—if you keep me in here—if you don't let me…"

"By all means, continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many," Dumbledore offered. He walked around his desk to take the seat behind it.

"Let me out," Harry repeated one last time.

"Not until I have had my say," Dumbledore replied.

"Do you—do you think I want to—do you think I give a—I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!" Harry shouted. "I don't want to hear _anything_ you've got to say!"

"You will," Dumbledore said. "Because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it." Liza gasped aloud. Dumbledore glanced at her, nodding once, and she closed her mouth. Harry looked at Liza, puzzled, before turning back to Dumbledore.

"What are you talking—?"

"It is _my_ fault that Sirius died," Dumbledore announced. "Or I should say almost entirely my fault—I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger. Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you, Harry, as I should have been, you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries, and you would never have been tricked into going there tonight. And Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me, and me alone." Harry stared dumbfounded, and Dumbledore took this opportunity to request, "Please sit down." And Harry slowly walked across the room.

"Am I to understand," the portrait of Phineas Nigellus spoke, "that my great-great-grandson—the last of the Blacks—is dead?" Liza choked out a sob that she didn't realize she'd been holding in.

"Yes, Phineas," Dumbledore replied.

"I don't believe it," Phineas said in a huff. Liza watched as he left his portrait, probably to go to his other portrait in Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore sighed heavily and turned to Harry.

"Harry, I owe you an explanation," Dumbledore began. "An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young…and I seem to have forgotten lately…

As the sun began to rise outside, Dumbledore explained to Harry about the connection between Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore spoke of how Voldemort had discovered the connection when Harry had seen the snake attack on Mr. Weasley. When Dumbledore brought up Occlumency again, Harry's eyes widened.

"I tried to check he'd really taken Sirius, I went to Umbridge's office, I spoke to Kreacher in the fire, and he said Sirius wasn't there, he said he'd gone!" Harry exclaimed.

"Kreacher lied," Dumbledore replied sadly. "You are not his master, he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."

"He—he sent me on purpose?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes," Dumbledore said. "Kreacher, I am afraid, has been serving more than one master for months." Dumbledore went on to tell them how Kreacher had been helping Lucius Malfoy with their plan to lure Harry into the Department of Mysteries, and how Snape had been able to raise the alarm after Harry had given him the cryptic message.

"And Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him…" Harry said about Kreacher, his hands curled into fists.

"She was quite right, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think that Sirius took me very seriously, or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's—"

"Don't you blame—don't you—talk—about Sirius like—" Harry stuttered angrily. "Kreacher's a lying—foul—he deserved—"

"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He was forced to do Sirius's bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved, but he felt no true loyalty to him. And whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius did nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier—"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS LIKE THAT!" Harry shouted, on his feet once again. Liza watched her brother warily as he ask, "What about Snape? You're not talking about him, are you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius he just sneered at me as usual—"

"Harry, you know that Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," Dumbledore said evenly, "but as I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the forest. It was he too who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell of Sirius's whereabouts…"

Harry and Dumbledore continued to go back and forth about Sirius and Snape for a few minutes while Liza watched helplessly.

"SO SIRIUS DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, DID HE?" Harry eventually roared. Liza stared at her brother in shock at how desperate his tone was.

"I did not say that, nor will you ever hear me say it," Dumbledore said. "Sirius was not a cruel man, he was kind to house-elves in general. He had no love for Kreacher, because Kreacher was a living reminder of the home Sirius hated."

"Yeah, he did hate it!" Harry shouted. "You made him stay shut up in that house and he hated it, that's why he wanted to get out last night!" He was pacing the room, shaking in anger.

"I was trying to keep Sirius alive," Dumbledore interrupted.

"People don't like being locked up!" Harry insisted loudly. "You did it to me all last summer!" At this, Dumbledore seemed to crumble. He buried his face in his hands for a few long moments before letting out a sigh and looking back up at Harry.

"It is time for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry," Dumbledore said. "Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience; from you as well, Liza." Liza started slightly, as she had started to wonder if they had forgotten she was there. "You will have your chance to rage at me," Dumbledore continued to Harry, "to do whatever you like, when I have finished. I will not stop you." Harry glared at the old man for a moment before dropping himself back into the chair across from Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore began to talk. As he talked, Liza watched as Harry grew less agitated and more exhausted. Dumbledore explained about the prophecy, informing Harry that he and Voldemort were connected.

"It was your heart that saved you," Dumbledore said. Harry shut his eyes.

"The end of the prophecy… it was something about… '_neither can live_'…" Harry trailed off.

"'…_while the other survives_,'" Dumbledore finished for him.

"So," Harry said, "so does that mean that… that one of us has got to kill the other one… in the end?"

"Yes," Dumbledore confirmed quietly. Liza gasped. Harry finally looked up at her.

"Liza, why are you here?" he asked, not unkindly. Liza dipped her head then looked to Dumbledore.

"Part of the confession, I suppose," Dumbledore said. "Harry, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Lily Potter. Your twin sister." There was silence in the office. Liza peeked up at Harry, hoping he wouldn't be mad. He was simply staring at her.

When neither of them said anything, Dumbledore continued, "When Lily and James knew they were being hunted by Voldemort, they went into hiding, and Lily asked me if there was any way to protect her children. At this time, I knew of the prophecy, and knew that Voldemort would be looking for the boy, even if he had found and killed his parents. However, I guessed that Voldemort would pay no attention to the fact that the boy had a sister, since the prophecy spoke of a son, not a daughter. Therefore, to keep Elizabeth safe, Remus Lupin volunteered to bring her to a family who would be willing to take in a baby and be able to tell her a version of what had happened to her real parents if anything went wrong.

"I wanted to get Elizabeth quite far away, at least for a little while. So I contacted some families abroad, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones were the first to get back to me."

"Did you know?" Harry asked hoarsely, looking Liza squarely in the eyes. She nodded timidly.

"It was an accident," she replied. "I learned two years ago, when Professor Lupin mentioned something about it. Professor Dumbledore told me everything."

"Another thing you kept from me," Harry said to Dumbledore, sounding somewhat accusing. "All to keep me safe, I assume."

"Everything I've done for you, Harry, was to keep you safe and alive," Dumbledore replied.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Liza said, catching a sob that was rising in her throat. "I'm so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but we knew it was for your own safety that you didn't know."

"I'm not angry," Harry said. After another long moment of silence, Dumbledore spoke.

"I feel I owe you one last explanation, Harry," he said. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess…that I rather thought…you had enough responsibility to be going on with." Harry sat in the chair and said nothing, looking as though the fight had been completely taken out of him.

Finally Liza stood from her chair and ghosted over to stand behind Harry. She put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Come on, Harry," she said after an approving nod from Dumbledore. "I'm sure you need some sleep." Harry wordlessly got up and followed Liza to the door. "Good night, Professor," Liza said softly to the old man across the room. "Or should I say good morning?" Dumbledore smiled slightly.

"Good morning, Liza, Harry," he said. Liza put her arm around Harry's shoulders and led him out of Dumbledore's office.

They began the slow trek back to the Gryffindor common room. Liza guided Harry using all the back ways she could think of to avoid any of the other students. It was almost breakfast time, and the two of them passed a few students who were going down to the Great Hall. None of them seemed to notice Liza and Harry, something Liza was extremely grateful for.

They finally reached the portrait hole. Liza spoke the password, and the Fat Lady swung forward to let them in. The two climbed through, and they were met by Ginny and Neville, both of whom looked tired but anxious. Harry continued by them and up the boys' staircase.

"Is he okay?" Neville asked quietly. Liza looked at both him and Ginny sadly.

"I think he will be," she replied. "It's all still so fresh. And Dumbledore had a lot to tell him afterward." She paused then asked, "So Madam Pomfrey fixed you guys up easily?"

"Mended in a heartbeat," Ginny replied, holding her ankle up for Liza's examination. Neville nodded in agreement, touching his nose.

"Luna was all right, as well," Neville informed her. "Madam Pomfrey gave her a potion, and she went back to her common room. Ron and Hermione are staying the hospital wing, though."

"Well, you guys better go get some sleep," Liza said. "I'm going to visit Hermione and Ron tomorrow, if you wanted to come with."

"Why not this afternoon?" Ginny asked quizzically. "I mean, it's only 8 in the morning." Liza smiled grimly at her friend.

"I think I'll be spending most of the day and night sleeping this all off," she said. "Or at least making sure Harry can sleep it all off." She bid Ginny good night, who trooped up the girls' staircase, then followed Neville up the boys' staircase. Neville didn't question her when she trailed him all the way to the fifth year boys' room.

Harry wasn't sleeping. He was sitting on his bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. Liza went directly to him. He automatically slid over and let her sit next to him. She put her arm around his shoulders and just held him. And finally, Harry cried. They were silent tears, running down his face in two perfect tracks. Yet Liza stayed and held him, even after he had drifted off to sleep.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: One chapter to go.**_


	31. Chapter 31 Parting of Ways

_**A/N: Final chapter!**_

**Chapter 31 – Parting of Ways**

On Sunday morning, Harry, Liza, Neville, Ginny, and Luna visited Hermione and Ron in the hospital wing. Neville and Luna were sitting in between Hermione's and Ron's beds, Ginny and Liza were sitting on Hermione's bed, and Harry was on Ron's. Hermione had the _Daily Prophet_ in her hands and was reading it aloud.

_He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns_

_In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned to this country and is active once more._

"_It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord—well, you know who I mean—is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reports. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe that the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord—Thingy._

"_We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defense that will be delivered free to all Wizarding homes within the coming month."_

_The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the Wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumors that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more."_

_Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening._

_Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was unavailable for comment last night. He has insisted for a year that You-Know-Who was not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile the Boy Who Lived—_

"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow," Hermione said.

"He's 'the Boy Who Lived' again now, though, isn't he?" Ron said. "Not such a show-off maniac anymore, eh?" He picked up a handful of Chocolate Frogs sitting on his bedside table and handed some out to his friends. As he stretched his arms out, Liza could see the marks from when the brains had attacked him.

"Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry," Hermione reported, looking through the rest of the article. "'_A lone voice of truth…perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story…forced to bear ridicule and slander…_' Hmmm, I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering, though…" Suddenly she winced, putting a hand to her chest. Madam Pomfrey had assured them that the curse Hermione had been hit with had done much less damage than it could have, but it had still caused, "quite enough damage to be going on with." Hermione was taking ten potions a day to help her get better, and she was showing a lot of improvement.

"'_You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine_…' Well, it's certainly given them lots to write about," Hermione commented. "And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in _The Quibbler_ months ago…"

"Daddy sold it to them," Luna announced. She had been looking through a copy of the magazine as Hermione had been reading aloud to them. "He got a very good price for it too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer and see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

There was silence before Hermione said, "That sounds lovely." She adjusted herself in her bed and asked, "So anyway, what's going on in school?"

Liza looked at Harry. They hadn't told anybody about them being siblings, but they knew it was bound to get out soon. Harry shrugged minutely.

"We have something to tell you guys," Liza began. "We wanted you to hear it from us before you heard it from the rumor mill. Harry and I are—er—we're twins."

Liza looked around at her friends, who were staring at her, the surprise obvious on their faces.

"You're what?" Ron asked blankly.

"Twins," Liza repeated. "Like your brothers."

"You know, that makes a lot of sense," Hermione said. "You guys look a lot alike. I've been a bit suspicious for a while now that there was something going on that you didn't want to tell us."

"Harry only just found out," Liza said. "I've known since the third year when Lupin accidentally let it slip that he knew my real mother." She paused, and when nobody said anything, she added, "So is everyone okay with that?" There were nods and murmurs of agreement.

"Anything else happened?" Hermione questioned.

"Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred's and George's swamp," Ginny said. "He did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he's roped it off—"

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George," Ron said. "They sent me all these, you know," he explained, gesturing to the pile of Chocolate Frogs. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?"

"So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Neville answered, "everything's settled right back down again."

"I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" Ron joked.

"Not at all," Liza said. "He's really, really miserable, actually…" She lowered her voice and continued, "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts…"

They all turned to look at a bed on the opposite side of the ward. Umbridge was lying there. Nobody knew how Dumbledore had managed to rescue Umbridge from the forest, and she certainly had no intentions of telling anyone how it had happened. Dumbledore had brought her straight up to the hospital wing, and as far as anyone knew, she hadn't uttered a single word.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," Hermione whispered.

"Sulking, more like," Ginny quipped.

"Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," Ron said. He made a soft clicking noise with his tongue, and Umbridge shot up into a sitting position in her bed.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" Madam Pomfrey asked from her office.

"No…no…" Umbridge mumbled, lying back, "no, I must have been dreaming…"

The group of students tried to muffle their laughter, turning away from the woman.

"Speaking of centaurs," Hermione said, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"

"He's got to," Harry said, "the other centaurs won't take him back, will they?"

"It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," Ginny said.

"Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good," Ron said, his mouth full of chocolate. "Mind you, the whole subject's useless if you ask me, Firenze isn't a lot better…"

"How can you say that?" Hermione gasped. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies? It is a pity it broke." Liza glanced sideways at Harry.

"Yeah, it is," Ron agreed. "Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it either—"

"Where are you going?" Liza asked sharply. Harry had stood up quickly.

"Er—Hagrid's," Harry answered. "You know, he just got back and I promised I'd go down and see him and tell him how you two are…"

"Oh all right then," Ron sighed. "Wish we could come…"

"Say hello to him for us!" Hermione added as Harry waved goodbye to the rest of them. "And ask him what's happening about…about his little friend!"

**~LJ:NK~**

The next morning, there was complete silence as Liza entered the Great Hall with Harry, Neville, and Ginny for breakfast. All the students turned to watch the four Gryffindors as they walked down the table and took their seats.

"What is going on?" Ginny asked in a low voice. "What are they all staring at us for this time?"

"No idea," Liza murmured, glancing around the Hall. Dean and Seamus joined them then. Seamus was carrying a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in his hands.

"Have you seen the _Prophet_ this morning yet?" he asked tentatively.

"No," Harry said. "Why, did something happen?"

"You might want to take a look," Seamus said, handing the paper over. Harry took one look at the front page, and his eyes grew wide. He laid the paper out on the table so the others could read the headline.

_Secret Twin Sister of the Boy Who Lived_

Underneath was a photo of Liza, who wasn't sure where they had gotten it. She groaned, putting her face in her hands.

"I knew it was going to get out," she remarked, "but I didn't think it would be this quickly. _Or_ that there would be a bloody article about it!"

"So it's true?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Liza answered, lowering her hands. She spun the paper around so she could read the article for herself. When she had finished, she swore quietly under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"I haven't told John yet," Liza replied. "I wanted to tell him before someone else did, but judging by the way everyone was looking over here, most people have read the article." She stood up from the table, her stomach rumbling with hunger. "I need to find him."

"Good luck," Ginny called as Liza set off down the table.

As Liza walked, her heart felt heavy. Now that her secret was very public, John's parents were bound to find out. It could be extremely dangerous for John to keep dating Liza. She couldn't be responsible for putting John and his family in danger; she _wouldn't_ be responsible for it. A small lump formed in her throat as she realized what she had to do. She swallowed, clearing her throat.

Exiting the Great Hall, she paused in the Entrance Hall, unsure of where to look first. Thankfully, she didn't need to go any further.

"Liza!" John was hurrying over to her from the dungeon stairs. Liza's eyes stung, and she quickly blinked a few times before John got near enough to notice.

"I think we need to talk," Liza said steadily.

"Yeah, we probably should," John said. "I saw the article in the _Prophet_. Is it true?"

"Yes," Liza answered simply.

"Twin sister to the famous Harry Potter," John said. "How long have you known about it?"

"I found out in our third year," Liza answered. "Lupin mentioned that he had known my real mother, and Dumbledore decided it would be easier to tell me who she was rather than keeping me in the dark. I wasn't supposed to tell anybody, but after what happened at the Ministry, Dumbledore told Harry the truth. I knew it was going to get out, but I wanted to tell you myself… I never thought they would write an article about it."

"It's _wild_ though, imagining you as Harry's twin sister," John said.

"I've been thinking about it, though, and there is no way that your parents won't hear about this," Liza said quietly.

"I suppose they will," John agreed slowly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"They're bound to find out that we've been dating," Liza said.

"Maybe, maybe not," John said, frowning. Liza sighed.

"Look, your parents are going to find out about us, and they're going to know that I'm Harry's twin," she said. "I'm sure that Voldemort is not going to like that the son of one of his Death Eaters is dating Harry Potter's twin."

"I don't think that You-Know-Who is going to care about who I'm dating," John stated flatly.

"But maybe he will," Liza said. "And while you're still living with your father and are underage, you need to stay safe—"

"Liza, listen," John cut in, taking both her hands in his. "Everything will be fine. I'll be seventeen in a few months, and then I won't have to live with my parents anymore."

"Yes, but between then and now you're going to be in danger if you keep dating me," Liza said sadly. John dropped her hands.

"Liza—"

"It's the truth, and you know it," Liza interrupted, feeling the moisture in the corners of her eyes. John ran a hand through his hair.

"So what are you saying?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm saying that you need to stay safe," Liza answered.

"Liza, please," John said, his voice pleading. "I—I love you." Liza shut her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. When she opened them again, she looked into John's distressed face.

"I'm sorry, John," Liza whispered. "You need to stay safe, especially now that the entire Wizarding world knows that Voldemort has returned. You shouldn't be risking your safety just to date me." John ran a hand through his hair again, agitated.

"So that's it?" he asked. "We're breaking up?"

"I guess we are," Liza said. John turned and took a few steps away from her before whirling around again.

"Would you still want to be with me if You-Know-Who wasn't back to full power?" he asked abruptly. Liza felt startled.

"Yes," she answered him honestly. John nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I guess I'll see you around." Then he left for the Slytherin common room. As soon as he was out of sight, Liza let the tears fall. She hoped that he would understand why she had to do what she did.

As she headed back to Gryffindor tower, she vaguely thought about how Harry would probably do something like she had if put in the same position. Maybe they were more alike than Liza had originally thought.

**~LJ:NK~**

The rest of the term passed rather quickly. Liza spent all of her time outside of class with Harry, Neville, and Ginny. They made frequent trips up to the hospital wing to visit Hermione and Ron. When they weren't visiting their friends, they went outside to sit by the lake and enjoy the summer sun.

Three days before the end of term, Hermione and Ron returned to Gryffindor tower. Hermione seemed eager to talk to Harry about Sirius, but Ron and Liza would stop her every time. Liza also told Hermione about breaking up with John.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said after Liza had finished her story. "There's something I don't understand, though."

"What's that?" Liza asked.

"If you care about him so much, why did you break up with him?" Hermione questioned carefully.

"I told you," Liza replied, frowning. "I'm trying to keep him safe. His father won't be pleased about his son dating the Boy-Who-Lived's sister."

"You could've kept it a secret, couldn't you?" Hermione pressed.

"I don't think so," Liza said sadly. "Not now that the truth is out there. Thanks to the stupid _Prophet_."

"But—"

"Hermione, it's done," Liza interrupted, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Hermione dropped the subject.

On the day before the last day of the term, Umbridge tried to sneak out of the school while everyone was at dinner. However, Peeves took this as his last opportunity to cause her distress. He chased her all the way down the front drive of the school, hitting her alternatively with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Liza and her friends piled into the Entrance Hall with most of the other students to watch Umbridge running away as fast as her short legs could carry her.

**~LJ:NK~**

"Well, I tried to get him to come down," Ron said, "but he said he still had to pack his trunk." It was the last night of term, and the end-of-term feast would be starting in ten minutes. Hermione and Liza had waited in the common room for Ron and Harry, and they were disappointed when Ron had joined them alone.

"I guess we'd better go downstairs then," Hermione sighed. "It's no use trying to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do."

Liza, Hermione, and Ron went down to the Great Hall and joined their fellow fifth-years at the Gryffindor table.

"No Harry?" Neville asked, scooting over on the bench so Liza could sit down.

"No Harry," Liza confirmed. "He's been a bit distant since…that night. Understandably, of course." Liza had explained to Neville and Luna a few days after the incident at the Ministry that Sirius had been their godfather.

"He said he'd show up later," Ron added hopefully.

A hush fell over the crowd as Dumbledore rose to his feet. Since he'd returned, the school had gone relatively back to normal except for the lingering fear that Voldemort had truly returned. None of the students knew what to expect when they left Hogwarts the next day.

"Another year has come to an end," Dumbledore said, "and I'm sorry to announced that, because of the unbalanced way that the House Points were being given out and taken away, we will not be awarding the House Cup this year." There were some murmurs and many students glared over to the Slytherin table, where the former Inquisitorial Squad were all sitting together. There was a gap between them and the rest of their house.

"As you are all aware, the Ministry has announced that Lord Voldemort is at large once again," Dumbledore continued. "It is therefore critical that you do your best to stay safe over the summer. We want to see every single one of your faces back here on September first, with the exception of those graduating, of course.

"Now, for a few announcements. The Hogwarts Express will be leaving tomorrow at ten a.m., as usual. Remember, there is no magic use allowed over the holidays if you are younger than seventeen. For those of you who took your O.W.L. examinations, you should expect your results sometime in early July.

"I think that's everything," Dumbledore finished. "We hope you all have a very safe and enjoyable holiday." He beamed around at the students before taking his seat again. A moment later, the food had appeared on the house tables, and everyone enjoyed their last meal of the year.

**~LJ:NK~**

After breakfast the next morning, the Hogwarts students were herded down to Hogsmeade station and boarded the Hogwarts Express. Liza joined Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny in their own compartment.

Harry and Ron left for the bathroom a few hours after the train had left, and it took them longer than it should have to return. When they got back, they explained that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had tried to ambush them. Fortunately, it had happened in front of the compartment where Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot had been sitting. The six of them had sent so many jinxes and hexes at Malfoy and his friends that they had been knocked unconscious.

Not long after that, the food trolley came around. Harry and Liza bought a handful of treats to share in their compartment. Then they all settled in again. Hermione was reading through the _Daily Prophet_, Neville was tending to his _Mimbulus mimbletonia_, and Ginny was taking a quiz in a copy of _The Quibbler_. Harry and Ron were playing a game of chess, and Liza watched them, stroking Boots.

Hermione periodically read aloud bits out of the _Daily Prophet_. There were articles about how to defend against a dementor and other ways to stay safe. There were also lists of known Death Eaters, whom the Ministry were trying to track down. Then there were all the letters from _Prophet_ readers who swore they had seen Voldemort for themselves.

"It hasn't really started yet," Hermione said sadly, putting the paper down. "But it won't be long now…"

"Hey, Harry," Ron said suddenly, nodding out into the train corridor. Liza looked up to see Cho Chang walking past with her friend Marietta, who was wearing a balaclava. Cho glanced into the compartment then hurried away.

"What's—er—going on with you and her anyway?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Harry replied, shrugging and looking at the chessboard.

"I heard she's going out with someone else now," Liza said carefully. Harry frowned minutely, but he didn't seem bothered by this news.

"You're well out of it, mate," Ron said fiercely. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"Nice," Liza scoffed quietly.

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," Harry said absently.

"Who's she with now, anyway?" Ron asked, looking up at Liza and Hermione.

"Michael Corner," Ginny announced from the corner of the compartment. She didn't look up from her magazine.

"Michael—but—" Ron stammered, staring at his sister. "But you were going out with him!"

"Not anymore," Ginny replied easily. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead." She flipped _The Quibbler_ upside down so she could see the answers to her quiz.

"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," Ron said, sounding cheerful. "Good for you. Just choose someone—better—next time."

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" Ginny asked, still not looking up.

"WHAT?" Ron thundered, standing up so quickly that he sent the chessboard and pieces flying.

Soon they were pulling into the the station at King's Cross. They all pulled their trunks off of the train. When they went through the barrier back into the Muggle world, they found a large group waiting for them. Moody, Tonks, and Lupin were standing with Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Fred! George!" Liza cried, running up to them. She hugged them tightly.

"Ron, Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, running forward towards her two youngest children. She threw her arms around them, pulling them to her. "Oh, and Harry dear—how are you?"

"Fine," Harry replied, letting Mrs. Weasley hug him.

"What are _they_ supposed to be?" Ron asked, pointing at the jackets that Fred and George were wearing.

"Finest dragon skin, little bro," Fred answered. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves."

"They look great," Liza said, smiling. Then she accepted the hug from Mrs. Weasley, followed by Mr. Weasley. Then she hugged Lupin and Tonks next.

"Hello, Harry," Lupin said, smiling at Harry.

"Hi," Harry said. "I didn't expect…what are you all doing here?"

"Well, we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home," Lupin answered.

"I dunno if that's a good idea," Harry said uncertainly.

"Oh, I think it is," Moody insisted. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?" He gestured to a group of three Muggles nearby.

"Ah, Harry!" Mr. Weasley said, turning back to the group. He had been exchanging hellos with Hermione's parents, who were now hugging their daughter. "Well—shall we do it, then?"

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," Moody said. He and Mr. Weasley started towards Harry's family, followed by the rest of the groups. Liza examined the Dursleys carefully, wondering if Harry would tell them that she was his sister.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Weasley said, stopping in front of Harry's uncle. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley." Harry's uncle glared at Mr. Weasley, who continued, "We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry."

"Yeah," Moody added. "About how he's treated when he's at your place."

"I am not aware," Harry's uncle began gruffly, "that it is any of your business what goes on in my house—"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," Moody interrupted.

"Anyway, that's not the point," Tonks said. "The point is, it we find out you've been horrible to Harry—"

"—and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," Lupin interjected.

"Yes," Mr. Weasley agreed, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone—"

"_Telephone_," Hermione and Liza whispered.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," Moody finished.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" Harry's uncle asked loudly. Some people walking by turned to look at him.

"Yes, I am," Moody replied easily.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" Harry's uncle demanded.

"Well…" Moody said. Then he pushed his hat back to reveal his magical eye. Harry's uncle gasped in surprise, hopping backwards and colliding into one of the luggage trolleys. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley." Then he turned to Harry and said, "So, Potter…give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along…" Harry nodded silently. "'Bye, then, Potter," Moody said, clapping Harry on his shoulder.

"Take care, Harry," Lupin said, shaking Harry's hand. "Keep in touch." Then he was passed around the rest of the group, all assuring him that they would send him owls.

"We'll see you soon, mate," Ron said, giving Harry's hand a firm shake.

"Really soon, Harry," Hermione added, hugging him. "We promise." Then Liza was finally able to give him a tight hug.

"We love you," she murmured. "Stay safe." She pulled away from him, and Harry nodded to all of them. Then he smiled, raised his hand to wave at them all, and then made his way out of the train station. A few minutes later, Hermione said her final goodbyes and followed her parents from the station as well.

"Well, Liza dear," Mrs. Weasley said, turning to her. "Dumbledore and your parents have been in touch, and you're supposed to come home with us. We'll explain everything when we get home."

"Sounds good to me," Liza replied, smiling around at her extended family. Then, after looping her arm around Ginny's, she followed Mr. and Mrs. Weasley out into the afternoon sunshine.

**~LJ:NK~**

_**A/N: That's all she wrote for this story. The next story will be called "Here We Are". I'm not sure when it will be posted, but keep an eye out for it if you're interested in it!**_


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